


When The Blue Irises Are Born Again

by DarkAbyss



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, AU For Episode 06x22, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Developing Relationship, Episode: s06e22 The Man Who Knew Too Much, Family Issues, Friendship/Love, Gabriel Lives, Identity Issues, M/M, Male Slash, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Character Death, Other, Post-Season/Series 06 AU, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Religious Themes, Spoilers, Trust Issues, What-If, hints of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-08 15:25:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 160,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3214139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAbyss/pseuds/DarkAbyss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.<br/>The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.<br/>In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> This is my first Supernatural story and I've been in the fandom only for a few months, so I apologize from the start if the characters are not always IC. I've tried very hard to stuck to their canon selves and I really hope I've managed it.
> 
> The story starts from the last part of episode 06x22 and goes on on its own, without considering what happens in the following season. You could say it's my own version of season 7, since I hadn't seen it yet when I started writing. Some pieces of dialogue are taken from the canon season 7 and some scenes are inspired by real ones. I didn't mean to copy the show, I just thought they fitted this story as well.  
> The whole plot revolves mostly on the characters' interactions and relationships, with a special focus on the themes of trust and faith.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it! Every comment or critic is really welcome! Please, let me know what you think!
> 
>  **Warnings:** This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

The water dripping on the floor was the only sound daring to break the silence that burdened the underground room. The walls were covered in mildew and the air was stagnant and humid. Castiel was staring hard at the blood-dirtied jar that he was holding. It felt heavy in his hands, even if it was now empty, and still a bit warm. The seal had already been drawn and was looking at him expectantly from the wall. He tightened his grip on the glass. Why was he hesitating? The expression of betrayal on Dean’s face filled his mind, but he chased it away immediately. He wasn’t at peace with the web of deceits and lies he had woven, but it had to be done. That was the only way to stop the civil war that was ripping Heaven apart, the war _he_ had started. It was his responsibility and fro that reason he had to deal with it. He would fix everything else as soon as he had solved the conflict and restored the order in his world.

He took a deep breath. Angels shouldn’t feel nervousness, but after all he had been one of the few who had doubted since the very start and he had been about to fall more than once. He still was. Besides, his fights and experiences on Earth had taught him that not even the creatures from Heaven were unaffected from the passions that dominated the material world. Humans were just…contagious. Considering how deep his association with the Winchesters had got, it was unsurprising that he had come to feel so much. Yet, he didn’t regret it and wouldn’t change things back to what they used to be for any reason. Those facts made his betrayal even worse and he was painfully aware of it.

He closed his eyes and focused, chasing those thoughts away and recalling instead the words of the spell. He couldn’t step back when he was so close to his goal. And, even if he had, what other alternatives would he have? That plan was his only option, it had always been.

“Ianua magna Purgatorii clausa est ob nos, lumine eius ab oculis, nostris retento…” He started to recite, his tone becoming resolute once more. “Sed nunc stamus ad limen huius Ianuae Magnae et demisse, fideliter perhonorifice paramus aperire eam.” The Latin words came easily to his lips, as if they were a long lost reminiscence, a memory from an ancient time that he hadn’t lived but that was part of him anyway. It made sense. Purgatory was one of God’s creation and angels retained a glimpse of His essence. And yet even that knowledge didn’t make the whole act feel right. He swallowed his concerns and kept going. “Creaturae terrificae quarum ungulae et dentes nunquam tetigerunt carnem humanam aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum nunc.” There he was. Once he had pronounced the last words there would be no turning back. “Ianua Magna, aperta tandem!”

The portal opened before him with an explosion of light and energy, revealing a raging black hole that radiated evilness and despair. Castiel forced himself not to take a step back, even if his instinct screamed him to get away. The darkness was much stronger than he had expected, but that wouldn’t stop him. It couldn’t. He had sacrificed so much, done things he felt so very ashamed of, just to reach that point. Allowing that power to scare him away would make a waste out of all the sorrow he had felt and spread around him. His eyes shone with determination and he opened his arms widely to capture the souls that were stirring frantically under the black surface. Once he would have brought peace on both worlds everything would be forgiven.

“ _Please_! Don’t tell me that you really believe that crap!” A voice laughed from behind his shoulders, out of the blue, making him start. “That’s just a nice excuse you’re telling yourself to feel better, because deep down you know better than me that you’re about to make an ugly mess! Second only to Luci’s one. And that was _bad_ , don’t you agree, lil bro?”

Castiel’s felt his Grace tingling in recognition, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe it. He spun around to face the newcomer and his blank expression faltered, even if just for a brief moment, as his astonished blue eyes met golden ones. He slowly lowered his arms. That was simply not possible. And yet it was no trick. He could see him, vessel and true form, he could _feel_ him as their Graces connected.

“Gabriel,” he let out after a moment, sounding almost confused. Among all the people who could have come after him, the supposed-to-be-dead archangel was the last he had expected to see. Maybe because he had thought that he would have never seen him again after the fatal fight in which Gabriel and Lucifer had faced each other years before. Or perhaps it was because he had never imagined that the self-proclaimed Trickster would willingly meddle into another fight after he had struggled for so long and so hard to smooth out the previous one.

Gabriel smirked widely, amused by the younger angel’s incredulity and bewilderment. “Yeah. The one and only!” He claimed, stepping away from the threshold of the room and towards the other. “You weren’t expecting me, were you, little brother? So, did you miss me?”

“Lucifer killed you,” Castiel stated emotionless, ignoring the provocation hidden in his speaker’s playful tone. He had no time for games. His was already running short.

“You can’t take the trick out of the Trickster, Cas! Come on, do I look like the kind of guy who gets killed and simply stays dead?” The archangel pointed out, faking offence at his words and crossing his arms on his chest. Then he turned serious. “Nah, fine. You’re right. Luci killed me. And it hurt like hell, by the way. Pun intended. So, yeah, I was dead and gone and totally on the way to stay like that. But apparently Dad wasn’t done with his prodigal son yet.”

“Are you telling me that our Father brought you back?” The blue-eyed angel frowned deeply, not convinced at all. He could hear the Door calling for him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from his brother. The situation was surreal. During the Apocalypse God had hardly showed His presence, no matter how hard he had prayed and looked for Him. And after the Winchester had managed to avert it, his Father had become even less present, if it was possible. He had prayed again, asked for a sign, but He had never answer, allowing him to make a deal with the King of Hell and to arrive to that point. So He had no reason to step in now that all was done. He narrowed his eyes. Could it be just some kind of sick game? “ _Why_? Why would have He done it? Choose _you_ , among everyone else?”

Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly, even if his sibling’s last words hit him hard. He had asked himself the same question, many times since he had come back to consciousness, without finding an answer. For how he saw it, he should have been the last being to be chosen. That, though, wasn’t the right moment to be self-critical. “No idea, bro. I just woke up in the middle of nowhere and had this vision of you going crazy with delusions of grandeur and making this huge mess,” he answered in a slightly harsh tone, shooting a meaningful look to the Door. “There was blood, Castiel. So much blood. Human and angelic too. And you were right in the middle of it, a wreck, screaming in agony. I might be an asshole, but I still remember how to care, at least when it comes to my family. So I told myself: “Gotta stop him before he breaks the world!”, and here am I!”

Castiel felt something in his chest aching at the mention of the future massacre. Could he trust his sibling’s words? Gabriel could have been lying, for what he knew, even if he couldn’t think of a valid reason why he should be. What could he get out of such a farce? The archangel hated seeing their brothers and sisters at war, even more than he did. So they should be both agreeing on the fact that the civil war had to be stopped as soon as possible.

“So, He brought you back to prevent me from taking His place?” He questioned back, his tone hard and determined. He wouldn’t agree to listen just yet, not until the other managed to persuade him that his presence was really a manifestation of their Father’s will, the sign he had been asking for. “He _abandoned_ us, Gabriel. Many of our brothers and sisters have died during an Apocalypse He hasn’t helped to stop. Some of them by my hand. Now they are fighting each other again, and the number of the victims is growing, exponentially. He hasn’t stepped in to stop the war before, so why would He care now? I _do_ care instead. And that is why I must stop this massacre.” His eyes hardened with resentment. “I looked for Him, everywhere. I prayed and prayed for His help, but I got no answer. He is _gone_. Forever. Someone needs to take care of His responsibilities, since He clearly won’t.”

“Yeah, of course. Dad left, went M.I.A., I haven’t forgotten. And, trust me, I’m more resentful that you are. But think about it. He brought you back to life _two_ times already, Castiel. He _did_ help you stop Luci’s mess in His own weird, mostly unhelpful way,” Gabriel pointed out, sounding oddly patient. Usually he wasn’t one for sitting down and talking, but he knew that without a bit of diplomacy they wouldn’t go anywhere. “I don’t like the idea of my family fighting and dying either. I may have run away, but I still care. For all of you. You know this. As you know that I understand that we need to stop Raphael’s crazy plan, but playing God is not the solution. Michael tried it before. Look at how it has turned out. He’s on a permanent holiday in Lucifer’s Cage now.”

He stopped for a moment, letting his words echoing in the humid room, but his eyes never left Castiel’s. The last time they had seen each other those blue orbs had been tired, but not hollow as they were now. Back then, he hadn’t paid much attention to that detail, but now he had the feeling that it had been a mistake. “And what’s the cost of this show of yours?” He started to talk again. “Come on, Cas, you let down your precious Winchester boys! For a demon? For Dad’s sake! That just doesn’t make any sense.” He shook his head, almost in disbelief. “I remember you back then, when Dad was still with us, before Lucifer’s Fall. You always hanged around, asking questions, wanting to understand, so full of faith that you made us archangels ashamed because we felt like we didn’t believe hard enough. What happened to you, Castiel?”

The younger angel lowered his eyes. “What happened to me, Gabriel? You should know, because you were there, at least at the beginning,” he answered harshly. How could the archangel not see what had pushed him to such depths? He of all people should understand the need of redemption. Why couldn’t anyone understand that he was just trying to pay for his mistakes and set things right? “One of our oldest brothers betrayed us all. Another left without warning soon after and the two who stayed behind started to treat us as tools and numbers. Father abandoned us. I was left to watch the Earth, learning about pain, despair and hate. I started to doubt and then I rebelled. I fought my own family, I killed some of my brothers and sisters. I fell and died more than once. All of that just to be forced to witness another war. All that blood, that pain for _nothing_.” He lifted his gaze once again, meeting Gabriel’s. “What happened to me? I lost my faith, brother.”

The former Trickster remained quiet for some moments, struck by the bitterness of those words, but he recovered quickly. Castiel’s admission was a serious one, a dangerous one, and they would need to deal it with too, later. Now he had a more urgent problem to solve. Namely the black hole behind his brother’s shoulders. “Alright. You’ve got your damn good reasons to be upset. And touché, since part of the fault it’s mine. But _this_ …” He pointed the portal. “…isn’t the solution to your problems. Quite the opposite. Look, I understand what you’re going through. I really do, because that’s how I felt after the whole Lucifer’s business and that’s why I became the Trickster. But this will only bring you more suffering and troubles. And you don’t deserve that, Castiel. Not you. Not again.”

“I don’t care if I will get hurt. I don’t care if I will die,” Castiel shot back, stubbornly, even if there was a hint of hesitation in his voice now. “It needs to be done. It is for a greater good.”

Gabriel shook his head. His younger brother’s head was far too hard at times for his liking. “No, Cas. You’re wrong. There may be redemption for you after this, if you ask loud enough, but I don’t think you’ll get forgiveness for what you’ve done to the people who care about you.” He took another step towards his brother, his eyes touching the Door for a moment once again. “I know what I’m talking about. I did a _lot_ of awful things in the last centuries. It was much fun, I can’t deny it, but now I see that I lost who I used to be and I regret it. I’m no longer sure if it was worth it. When I fought Lucifer to save Kali and the Winchesters, I found my true essence once again. For those few minutes I was no longer the pagan Trickster Loki, but I was the archangel Gabriel. And it felt great, like I _belonged_ once again. I found forgiveness because I did the right thing.” His tone softened lightly, but remained firm. “Being a good guy sucks, but from time to time it can be nice. If you eat those souls, Cas, and do what I saw doing, you’ll pass the point of no return. The one I left behind centuries ago. Don’t mess up more than you’ve already done. It’s not worth it.”

Castiel looked at him for some moments, as if he needed to make sure that he wasn’t lying, and then turned away again, but this time he looked no longer hostile. His face wore a shadow of regret and shame and his eyes were even darker. “And what do I do? How do I stop Raphael? I am falling, Gabriel. I am not powerful enough to stop this war. Some of our brothers and sisters believe in me, are ready to give their lives for my cause. I can’t let them down.”

“I know. But they want you to fight, not to become a tyrant.” The archangel rolled his eyes and his voice was filled with a hint of harsh mockery. “Tell me, now. What will you do to the ones who won’t follow you once you’ll have turned into a bad copy of our Father? Imprison them? _Kill_ them? I thought you wanted to stop the suffering of our kind.” He scoffed. “You might stop the war, but how many lives would you end in the process? How many Rachels will you kill?”

The younger angel’s eyes widened slightly at that. “I…I haven’t thought about that,” he confessed, feeling his determination crumbling. His brother was right. But what other choices did he have? He looked up again, staring right back, broken desperation shining darkly in his blue orbs. “But many lives will be ended in any case. At least in this way I can be sure that this war will be over once I’ll be done.”

Gabriel let out a groaned. “Ah, stop this crap! You don’t even believe it yourself anymore. Has no one ever told you that power goes to your head? Look what happened to Luci and Mike…or to _me_. You’ve watched mankind for so long, you should know what I’m talking about.” He lifted a hand to prevent his speaker from talking back. “But let’s not dwell on issues of general morality. It’s tedious and you won’t listen to me. Let’s talk about more personal matters. What about your dear Dean? You made him almost hate you. Do you think he’ll ever trust you again if you get to the bottom of this? Do you really think he’ll be able to forgive you, Cas? At least if you stop now, you could always prove him that you are really sorry. But if you start playing God you’ll no longer be believable.”

“Dean…He will understand,” Castiel stated trying to sound persuaded, but he knew that Gabriel was right. He himself was having a hard time believing his own words. “After stopping the war, I will fix Sam’s wall and Dean will trust me again. He will finally see that I am doing everyone’s good.”

“In your dreams,” the former Trickster snorted. He had enough. He knew that his brother could be stubborn, but he was exaggerating now. And, besides, the more time the portal stayed opened the more likely was that something came out of it. “You wanna know what you’ll do? You’ll enjoy too much playing God and go around the world forcing people to worship you. You’ll turn Heaven into an angel cemetery and you’ll become a problem to Sam and Dean. Oh, and in the end you will explode because you can’t contain all that power. Not even I could! So stop this shit or you’ll find yourself covered in blood from head to toes. And you’re being too whiny for my likings. So now shut your pie hole and do what I said. I’m the older brother here!”

“Gabriel, you can’t…” Castiel started to say, but he was interrupted by a sudden tremor that shook the ground.

The two angels turned around just in time to see the surface of the portal exploding with a terrible roar. Black trails erupted from the dark surface and rushed past them, disappearing from their view as quickly as they had appeared. A look of disbelief spread on Castiel’s face as his eyes widened in horror. The jar fell from his hands and hit the floor, breaking in a thousand pieces. Gabriel cursed heavily under his breath. He knew that it would have ended that way. He shouldn’t have waited so long. Maybe it would have been better if he had just knocked his brother out and closed the Door. After that, they would have had all the time to talk. But he had wanted to do the things in the right and nice way and be Dad’s Messenger again. And that was the result. Playing the good guy really sucked.

“Close that fucking Door! _Now_ , Castiel!” He shouted, exasperated, and finally he got the response he had been looking for.

The blue-eyed angel obeyed immediately, muttering the spell under his breath and extending his arms towards the black hole. The portal fought his powers hard, draining him, but suddenly Gabriel’s hands were on his shoulders and he felt the archangel’s Grace flooding through him, adding strength to his own. The Door trembled for some, endless moments and then closed with a deafening rumble, leaving the two panting in front of a newly intact mouldy wall. The silence filled the room again, lingering above them with the weight of a deadly omen.

The former Trickster was the first to speak. “What in Hell were those things?” He exclaimed, still a little bit out of breath. He had been too caught off guard by the sudden explosion of energy to really pay attention to the creatures that had managed to escape from the portal. “They were fucking strong!”

Castiel dropped his gaze on the ground once again. “Leviathans,” he muttered quietly. His voice was emotionless, but his expression was dark and pensive.

“Oh, _shit_. More troubles for us…” The other groaned, running a hand on his face. “Wasn’t a civil war in Heaven enough?”

“They are my problems. They are my _faults._ ” The younger angel corrected, shaking his head. He stepped forward, laying a hand on the blood seal and making it disappear. “I must take care of them. You stopped me, your job is done. You can go back doing whatever you used to do now. You are free.”

The archangel grabbed his arm, to prevent him to walk away. “Don’t be an idiot, Castiel. I didn’t come here to scold you and then leave you to face all this crap alone. Well, I could but…I’ve been an awful big brother for long enough. This is my chance to redeem myself and to make our home less boring,” he claimed with determination. “I won’t throw it away. Besides, I’ve never liked Raphael too much. Any chance to kick his self-righteous ass is a good deal for me.”

Castiel stared at him silently for a while, taken aback. He hadn’t expected Gabriel to offer him his help. He understood why he had come and stop him. It was a mission he had been given by their Father, and none of them could say not to it, even in spite of everything that had happened. But staying meant risking his life and being forced to fight another war, a prospect that his older brother had to loathe. And yet there he was, holding a hand out for him right when he had thought that nothing would have raised him from the darkness he had fallen into. He hesitated, not knowing what to say, but in the end his lips opened and he let out a barely audible whisper: “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that you have no reason to trust me and…” Gabriel had started to add, but stopped abruptly as he realised what the other had just said. He looked at him in disbelief, as if he had been expecting to be laughed at. “Come again?”

“Thank you, Gabriel,” Castiel repeated, in a louder, less shaky voice. “And I _do_ trust you. You have just prevented me from ruining many lives, from losing myself. Besides, I owe you another chance. You sacrificed yourself to help us stopping Lucifer.” He rested his hand on the top of his sibling’s, which was still gripping at his arm. “I am happy to have you back. I missed you. And I am sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me, brother.”

The archangel remained quiet, not really knowing how to answer to that show of absolute trust. Those blue eyes were once again too bright. It felt good seeing them like that, though. Castiel had always been able to feel in a way that should have been impossible for angels, and yet it had always come so natural to him. He almost smiled at the thought. Dad really had to have a soft spot on His weird nerdy son.

He cleared his throat, trying to recover his usual cockiness. “I’m not the one who should hear your apologies, Cas. And I owe you an even bigger one in any case,” he said, stepping away from the other. He gestured towards the corridor. “Come on, we have two boys and a demon waiting for us. And I can’t wait to see the Winchesters’ faces when they’ll realise that I’ve come back from the dead!” He smirked. “They’ll be _delighted_.”

“I thought they couldn’t stand you,” the other angel pointed out, confused. “Why should they be happy to see you?”

Gabriel felt the strong urge to bang his head against the wall. He bent down and picked up the pieces of the jar, which rebuilt in his hands, and then he handed it to his brother. “I was being _sarcastic_ , Cas.”

“Oh.”

The archangel wondered briefly if Castiel understood what sarcasm was, but he didn’t dare to ask. He had already used all his patience in the previous conversation and he had no intention to deal with his brother’s inability to get non-literal meanings. He preferred leaving the task to the older Winchester. They walked side by side in silence, but for the first time after centuries there was no tension between them.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Crowley stared at the blood seal wearing an uncertain expression that matched Raphael’s puzzled one. The incantation words had had no effect. No flash of light had lit up the room, no roar had torn the air and, especially, no door had opened in front of them. From their place on the floor Dean and Bobby exchanged confused looks. Something obviously hadn’t worked, which should have been good news for them, and yet the young hunter couldn’t chase away the bad feeling in his guts. Something was off, they just didn’t know what yet.

“Mm-hmm…” The demon mumbled to himself, without looking away from the wall. The seal was correct, he was sure of that, so the problem had to be elsewhere. “Maybe I said it wrong.”

A flap of wings came from behind his back in that very moment and a voice followed it almost immediately. “You said it perfectly,” it claimed flatly as Crowley turned around. “But what you needed was _this_.”

The King of Hell eyed the jar that Castiel was holding, not surprised at all by his former ally’s unexpected entrance. “Oh, I see,” he commented, sounding almost impressed. He stepped towards the seal and took a bit of blood on his index finger. “And we have been working with…” He licked the red liquid away from his skin. “…Dog blood. Naturally.”

The two hunters stared at the newcomer stunned, not knowing what to expect by his sudden appearance. They still couldn’t grasp what dangerous game the angel was playing. It was clear that he wasn’t going to let Raphael win Heaven, but there was no way he could challenge her in battle either. Dean kept his eyes on the by now familiar figure, but his gaze that time wasn’t returned. Castiel looked his usual self, but at the same time there was something different in his posture. He seemed more tensed, worried, and in his sky-blue eyes there was a shadow that looked awfully a lot like deep guilt.

Raphael, from her place by Crowley’s side, was starting to tremble with rage. She approached her brother threateningly and glared at him. “Enough of these games, Castiel. Give us the blood.” She ordered imperatively. “Your game’s over.”

“His jar’s empty, just in case you haven’t noticed,” the demon politely pointed out, waving his hand in the direction of the glass can. Then he addressed to the blue-eyed angel. “So, Castiel, how’s your ritual gone? Better than ours, I’ll bet.”

“It worked,” Castiel offered laconically, never tearing his gaze from his sister.

“So why I don’t sense an awfully great power coming off from you?” Crowley asked, raising an eyebrow. Why opening the Door and then not getting the souls? Wasn’t that what the angel had tried to accomplish since the beginning? What had changed? It made no sense to him. He was surely missing something. “Was Purgatory too scary for you, little angel?”

“Fear is overrated. Common sense instead can be very convincing at times,” another voice claimed and suddenly Gabriel appeared at Castiel’s side. “I got there just in time to prevent my little brother from making the biggest mistake of his sorry life!”

The King of Hell moved his eyes towards him, intrigued by the sudden twist of events, a smirk playing on his lips. It seemed that he wouldn’t get the power he had been promised, but the angelic family business was proving itself to be entertaining enough to make it up for that. For those who weren’t directly involved, of course.

“Gabriel!” Raphael exclaimed, caught off guard. Her eyes were wide with incredulity. “You were dead. Lucifer killed you, I saw it!”

The other archangel rolled his eyes. “How many times will I be forced to tell the same story?” He muttered under his breath. Then he added, in a louder voice: “Yeah, Luci killed me. But, apparently, I still had some unfinished businesses here.” He offered Raphael a cocky smirk and patted Castiel’s shoulder. “My little brother needed me, so I came back. It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“It doesn’t, actually. Never heard of an archangel that comes back to life because he has _unfinished business_ ,” Crowley couldn’t help muttering under his breath, but his words didn’t go unnoticed as he had hoped.

“Fuck off, Crowley. This is family business. No demon allowed,” Gabriel told him, waving his hand in the demon’s direction. “And you’d better go now that you have the chance to, because I can’t guarantee that you’ll remain unharmed if you stay longer. _Shoo_!”

“Since you have asked me so nicely, I’ll take your advice,” the King of Hell mocked, faking a small bow towards him. “After what I’ve seen, I don’t want to be involved with angels for a while. None of them is a straight shooter apparently. Exit stage Crowley!” And he disappeared before someone could say or do anything.

“So, Raphy! Back to business,” the archangel said slowly, turning towards their opponent. “What do we do now, bro? Uh, well, _sis_.”

“You let that demon go and you are threatening your own kind, Gabriel?” Raphael attacked him, offended. She was wielding her sword now. “You are no better than Castiel!”

“You’re the one who attacked Cassie first. Just because you are…or rather, _were_ the last archangel alive, it didn’t mean that you automatically had the right to become the new leader of Heaven,” Gabriel talked back, untouched by her rage. He snapped his fingers and his blade appeared in his hand. “Besides, I’ve chosen a side and I don’t want the Apocalypse to happen anymore. Little Cas has my favours now. And you’ve better consider your options carefully.”

“You are outnumbered, Raphael,” Castiel interjected, getting a hold his own weapon in turn. “You have my same alternatives now. Flee or die.”

Raphael’s gaze hardened, but in the end she reluctantly lowered her blade. “It’s not over, you filthy traitors!” She proclaimed firmly. “I’ll have your blood on my hands soon. It’s a promise!” And she was gone in a flap of wings.

“Ah, why did you let her go?! We could have taken care of her here and now!” Gabriel complained with a groan. “This way she and her minions will surely come after us!”

“We were not ready to face her. I’m still weak from the ritual and you are not in your best shape either,” the blue-eyed angel stated emotionlessly. “And besides…” He shot a glance at the two hunters who had watched the whole scene without moving. “We couldn’t risk having a fight here. The consequences could have been nasty.”

“I see…” The archangel followed his eyes and stopped on the two humans. A new smirk opened on his face. “Ah, Dean Winchester! You were in a better shape the last time I saw you. You’ve had a pretty rough time, haven’t you?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Dean groaned exasperated, finally getting himself up from the floor. He had been too astonished to step into the confrontation that had taken place before his eyes, but, now that he was starting to recover from the surprise, all his anger and disappointment were coming back. “I admit that I’ve wished for some back-up, but I wouldn’t have asked if they had told me that it would have been _you_! I asked for help, not for bad news!”

“How nasty. You wound me!” Gabriel complained making a face and bringing a mocking had to his chest, but his grin remained. “I’ve just saved your sorry asses once again, you should be grateful, Deano. You’re welcome, but the way. For today and for the last time too.”

“Grateful my ass…” The older Winchester muttered with hostility. His eyes met Castiel’s and his tone became even harsher. “I wouldn’t have needed help if _someone_ hadn’t had the awful idea to go, make a deal with the King of Hell and play God. Breaking my brother’s mental wall in the process! Who’s ungrateful now?”

The blue-eyed angel lowered his gaze on the floor, looking and feeling remorseful. Dean was right. The Winchesters had done so much for him, had welcomed him and treated him as family after his own had lied and rejected him. How had he repaid them? Breaking their trust, plotting behind their backs with a creature that should have been their enemy and hurting them, both physically and emotionally.

Gabriel’s hand found his shoulder once again, squeezing it in a comforting gesture as the archangel threw a nasty glare to the hunter, who stared back with the same amount of distaste. None of them spoke another word, but the tension that had filled the room was threatening to explode in a real fight very soon.

Bobby looked at the three of them and decided to step in before the situation could degenerate any further. He pulled Dean’s T-shirt to get some help to stand up, which the other instantly offered, and then brushed some dirt off his clothes. “So, here is the infamous angelic Trickster,” the older man said, carefully moving the conversation on a somehow neutral ground. “I remember you from that hunt in Springfield. And the boys told me about what you did after that one time. A disloyal opponent, aren’t you?”

“In person. Nice to see you again, Bobby Singer. And it’s true, I don’t always play nice. I’m known as Loki not without a good reason,” the archangel admitted with a shrug. “But I’m on your side now. Or, rather, we’ll be all fighting the same things from now on.”

“What is that supposed to mean? We’re not getting involved in your fucking angelic business,” Dean growled. His cold gaze was once again on Castiel. “Not after what you’ve done to Sam! And to me.”

“We are not asking you to fight our war, Dean,” the latter spoke quietly, forcing himself to meet the older Winchester’s eyes. He didn’t want to see the anger and the distaste that filled them, but he needed to stand his ground. The whole matter was not just about the two of them. “I am aware that I have no right to ask you anything. I will still keep my promise and fix your brother somehow, even if at the moment I don’t have the power to do it.” His voice faltered slightly, but he steadied it immediately. “I…When Gabriel came to me, the Door of Purgatory was already opened. Something was unleashed in this world. Strong, merciless creatures that will bring devastation on mankind if they are not stopped.”

“Ah, _awesome_! Great job, Castiel! My congrats!” The hunter exclaimed incredulous, throwing his hands in the air. “Now we have more monsters to deal with! As if I didn’t have enough problems. Thanks a lot, man! We’re always glad to clean up your bloody messes.”

“Winchester.” Gabriel stepped in with a warning tone, preventing his brother from speaking. “He couldn’t have known. No one could have. He shouldn’t have opened that freaking portal in the first place, I agree on that, but you have no right to talk to him like this. He messed up, but he was just trying to do the right thing. For _you_ idiot too. We are _not_ omniscient. And we make mistakes as you humans do. So shut the fuck up and leave my brother be.”

Dean let out a bitter laugh. “The right thing, sure. You mean his own bloody business! And since when you are so protective of your family?”

The archangel held his speaker’s eyes with determination, ignoring the other’s provocation. “Since I’m trying to make up for my past mistakes.”

A heavy silence fell on the room. Bobby kept out of the discussion for everybody’s sake, even if he felt the words twitching on his tongue, pushing to come out. Fighting and yelling would do them no good, especially when the older Winchester was already doing a good job with it. He wouldn’t hide how disappointed and angry he was with Castiel, but that was neither the time nor the place for that. Apparently they needed to save the word again.

By his side Dean had gone still. Gabriel’s words had left inside him a weird uneasiness. He knew too well what the other had meant. Everyone in his fucked up family had tried more than once to find a way to make up for their faults. He and Sam were still trying to put up with all they had been through and all they had done to each other. And he also understood why the archangel was acting so protective towards Castiel. He would have done the same thing for Sam, even knowing that his brother was at fault. He would have beaten the crap out of him when they had been alone, but he would have stood up for him in front of the others. Because that was what family was for and because he himself had to make something up to his younger sibling.

Gabriel’s hand was still lying on Castiel’s shoulder, warm and reassuring. The younger angel shot his brother a confused but grateful glance. He had been taken aback by that sudden change in his behaviour, but he had to admit that he had missed having someone so ready to look out for him. The Winchesters had done it in many occasions while they were facing the Apocalypse together, but it wasn’t the same thing. He had felt close to them, but Gabriel was family by blood, the one he had thought lost forever after rebelling.

“Dean! Bobby!” Sam’s voice broke the silence and the sound of his hurried steps against the metal staircase echoed in the room. The younger Winchester stopped at the end of the stairs, pale and panting, his eyes locking on the archangel. “ _Gabriel?!_ ” He exclaimed confused.

“Heya, Sammy! Oh, you look awful, kid. Worse than Deano here,” the latter commented in a fake cheerful tone, studying the human carefully. “Cas’s made a real mess with you. But don’t worry, we’ll fix you!”

“Sam!” Dean exclaimed, approaching his brother quickly and ignoring the archangel’s comment. He felt relief washing over him. He had been afraid that his sibling wouldn’t wake up. “How are you feeling? And don’t say fine because I’ll send you back to dreamland!”

“I feel…Uh, as if a train had just run over me?” Sam offered hesitantly. Then, seeing that the other hunter seemed satisfied with his answer, he looked around the room and asked: “What happened here? Why is Gabriel alive? Weren’t you _dead_?”

Gabriel groaned. “Here we go. _Again_.”

“We will explain later,” Castiel interrupted before another discussion could start. “We need to get away from this place. Raphael could decide to come back with her army any time. It isn’t safe.”

The three hunters stared at him sceptically. It was clear that none of them was going to trust him any time soon, nor to like the prospect to be anywhere near him, but he couldn’t worry about it in that moment. Raphael hadn’t been very pleased with what had happened and she would be back as soon as possible to get his and Gabriel’s heads. He couldn’t have the humans involved in the conflict even more than they already were.

The archangel seemed to guess his thoughts because he immediately nodded in agreement. “Come on, kids. We’ll allow you to put us in a circle of holy fire as soon as we’ll be out of here. But let’s get out first!”

Dean and Sam exchanged glances, respectively with reluctance and hesitation, but Bobby stepped in before one of them could speak. “I hate to say this, but the feathered idjits have a point,” he claimed, even if he was still glaring at the angels. “I don’t like the idea to take a traitor and a trickster to my house, but it’s the most intelligent move we can do right now. We can’t risk facing an army of angry angels right now.”

“Fuck it. Alright. Let’s go.” Dean gave up, not even trying to hide his reluctance. “But I need to get my car back before we leave.”

Castiel nodded silently, elbowing Gabriel to prevent him to make one of his awfully misplaced comments. They were walking on thin ice and they couldn’t afford any other stupid mistake. Or even worse, to piss the other three off even more because they hadn’t learnt when to shut up. They couldn’t fight the Leviathans and Raphael alone. They needed allies and he had no intention to ask Crowley for help again, assuming that the demon would accept to talk to him any time soon after what had happened between them. Besides, he wanted badly to show Sam and especially Dean that he was really sorry. He _needed_ their forgiveness.

Gabriel punched his shoulder gently, but remained quiet, getting the message. They followed the older Winchester out of the building, Bobby and the younger behind them, as to make sure that they didn’t try anything. Castiel glanced at them and then lowered his gaze, meeting his brother’s golden eyes.

“ _We’ll fix everything, so stop sulking,_ ” the archangel’s voice echoed in his mind, his Grace poking his sharply. “ _I told you that I’d help. And I will_.”

“ _I can’t see how,_ ” he answered, his shoulders slumping. “ _Even if we find a way to send the Leviathans back to Purgatory, we will have to pay a high price to stop the civil war._ ”

The other snorted and rolled his eyes. Here they went again. “ _So what?_ _Do you regret not getting that power? Not becoming the new God?_ ”

Castiel shook his head. “ _No. Of course not_. _I…I just wish I could believe as I used to…_ ”


	2. II.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys!
> 
> Here's the second chapter of the story. I will try to update once a week if I have enough time to write and review the chapters. Which means it depends on my studies.
> 
> So...This chapter is one of the M-rated one (for Sam and Gabe). I know, it's just the second one and maybe it's a little bit premature (I confess I hesitated a bit because I wasn't sure it was such a good idea), but I assure you it's not just gratuitous sexual content. It makes sense (I hope) and it will have a part in the development of the characters' relationship.
> 
> Please, comments or critics are very welcome and will make it easier for me to keep on writing! Give me your opinion!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 3rd 2015_

The living room was quiet. After explaining Sam what had happened with Crowley and Raphael, Bobby had retired in the kitchen to cook something to eat, leaving the boys alone with the angels, who in the end hadn’t been confined in a circle of holy fire. Castiel stood by the window, staring at the wrecked cars in the yard without really seeing them, while Gabriel was sprawled on one of the armchairs, happily sucking a chocolate lollipop. Sam was seated on the couch, fingers pressed against his temples, trying to fight back the visions that haunted his mind, and Dean was restlessly pacing up and down. None of them was in the mood to speak, but the need to ask and explain lingered among them, strong and heavy.

In the end it was the archangel who broke the silence. “Cas, sit down. I feel tired in your place,” he called out to his brother, patting the armrest. “Come on, bro. You’re drained. Stop playing cool and get some rest.”

Castiel shot an uneasy look at the Winchesters but, when none of them raised his eyes on him, he obeyed and went to sit down next to his brother. He would have preferred staying near the window so that he didn’t have to look directly at the two humans, but he was too tired to argue. His sibling was right, he did feel drained.

Gabriel nodded satisfied and handed him a bar of chocolate that he had materialised out of nowhere.  He knew that the other angel wouldn’t have touched it, but it was a nice way to offer support, especially coming from him. “So, I think it’s time to talk business,” he stated then, sitting up a little straighter.

“Who tells you that we want to work with you?” Dean talked back immediately, stopping his restless pacing abruptly. He had just been waiting for one of the angels to speak to start a new fight. He needed to unload all the angry energy he had bottled up since when he had found out about Castiel’s betrayal and the two were a perfect target for that task. “Sorry, but I have no intention of getting screwed once again by one of you douchebags.”

“We can’t fight the Leviathans by ourselves. And neither can you, Dean,” the blue-eyed angel explained quietly, turning the chocolate in his hands and showing no intention of eating it. He forced himself to ignore the human’s harsh tone. He couldn’t really blame him for not trusting them. He had all the reasons not to. “We need to join our forces if we want to defeat them.”

“Yeah, of course,” the older hunter mumbled, sounding not convinced at all. He didn’t believe that the Leviathans affair could be a trick, but honestly he didn’t any longer know what to think anymore. The angel was supposed to be his best friend, part of the family, and yet he hadn’t almost hesitated to turn his back to them and become buddies with the King of Hell. How could the other expect him to easily agree to fight together after that? “I don’t work with people I don’t trust and I don’t trust you. Not anymore. What do we do about that?”

Castiel visibly winced at that, so Gabriel decided to speak in his place to prevent his younger brother from receiving more blames and insults. “Well, none of us is a demon but…What about a deal?” He offered, deciding to swallow the mocking comments that had come to his lips. He would have all the time to tease and poke the Winchesters around later. Now he needed to have them agree with him and Castiel. His eyes moved from Dean to Sam. “Accept to help us dealing with the bastards from Purgatory and I’ll fix your dear Sammy. No collateral effects. As for the war, I swear we won’t involve you, unless you decide to lend us a hand.”

The younger Winchester looked up as his name was made, eyes widening a slightly. He shouldn’t have been that surprised hearing that the shorter man could heal him. After all, under the mask of the trickster, Gabriel was one of the most powerful creatures that had ever walked the Earth. Or any other realm. “You could do that?” He asked slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. Powerful or not, he still wasn’t sure that they could trust the archangel to keep his part of the deal without consequences. He remained a master of trickery. “How?”

“I’m an _archangel_ , Samsquatch, even if you all tend to forget that. I still have my powers and you have seen what I can do. Plenty of times,” he answered, feeling almost offended by the lack of faith in his abilities. “The process is pretty complex, I want deny that. Long story short, I’ll pick all the pieces of your soul up and stitch them together with my Grace.” He snapped his fingers. “Easy peasy. Or almost. It’s the opposite process of what Lucifer has done in the Cage. The only difference is that he took his sweet time to do it, while I’ll be quick and efficient.”

Dean didn’t miss the weird look that Castiel shot the archangel and that made him even more unwilling to agree to Gabriel’s offer, no matter how tempting it was. It was obvious that he knew exactly what his older brother was talking about, and from his expression he could say that the angel wasn’t completely happy with it. The hunter frowned. He desperately wanted Sam to be back on his feet and as healthy as one of them could be, but he wasn’t ready to bet all they had on a former Trickster who had enjoyed killing him dozens of times. “And do tell. How do you exactly plan to do that?” He asked, his hostility more than evident.

A sly smirk spread on Gabriel’s face. “Sorry, Deano. That’s something I’ll to discuss only with Sammy,” he answered cryptically, winking at the younger hunter. “It’s for the sake of your brother’s privacy.”

“Gabriel? May I speak with you for a moment?” Castiel stepped in quickly, before one of the humans could argue. He had no idea of what his brother was trying to obtain with all his teasing and weird offers, but it couldn’t be good. He had that spark in his eyes that clearly told that he was up to something, which usually wasn’t good news. “In private, if you don’t mind.”

The archangel rolled his eyes, but then agreed to meet his younger sibling’s gaze and they spent some minutes just staring at each other intently, without moving. Their orbs glowed faintly with power and they both wore a focused expression.

It didn’t take much to the Winchesters to understand that they were discussing through telepathy, or whatever angels used to communicate among them. Dean felt the strong urge to yell them to speak in a loud voice, but Sam’s eyes held him back. That could be their only chance to fix their problem before it got out of hand and they couldn’t lose it, even if it meant entrusting its solution in the Trickster’s hands. The younger Winchester didn’t see the harm in hearing the archangel out. They were always in time to say no after all.

In the end, Castiel looked away from his brother with a frown, but then nodded. He still thought that Gabriel was pushing his luck, but the other had promised that he wouldn’t take things too far. “The one that my brother enunciated before is our offer. We are not asking you to trust our words. I would never ask you that. Gabriel will fix Sam as first thing, to show you that we are sincere, and then you will make your decision,” he explained, letting his eyes fall on the floor. “I just want to remind you that our aim is the beneficial to both parts. I am responsible for both threats that are endangering humanity in this moment, and I wouldn’t seek your help if it wasn’t strictly necessary. I ask you to believe this, at least.”

Dean opened his mouth, most likely to spat out some sarcastic comment, but Sam was quicker than him. “Alright.  Fix me and then we’ll take care of the Leviathans together,” he agreed immediately, gaining a look of disbelief from his brother. His answer could look a bit rushed, but the truth was that keeping on arguing would lead them nowhere. He needed whatever cure Gabriel was offering him and soon, because the nightmare he had been trapped into had been horrible enough. Not to mention the memories that had invaded his mind as soon as he had woken up. He didn’t even want to imagine what could come afterwards. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time that he and Dean worked with someone they didn’t like. “But we have one condition too. You won’t hide anything from us this time. If you lie, or omit, or whatever, we are out.”

“Deal!” Gabriel sang, clapping his hands. He was tired of all that talking. He wanted some action to take place, because it was obvious that the Winchesters weren’t going to trust their words any time soon. He jumped on his feet, stirring a bit. “Now, Sammy, we need to do this alone. So we need a quiet place, without distraction. Dean, Cas, go and have a walk. I’ll be done in…Let’s say two hours.”

“Wait! No fucking way!” Dean protested loudly, stepping between the archangel and Sam. Not only the Trickster had refused to explain him whatever fucked up ritual he needed to perform, but now he was demanding for him not to be present. If the bastard thought that he could just play him in that way, he was very wrong. “I’m not leaving my brother alone with _you_!”

“Dean, please…” The younger Winchester tried to calm him down, but he received a nasty glare as an answer.

“Oh, is that really it? Are you sure that your true, main concern isn’t that _you_ don’t want to be alone with _my_ brother, Dean Winchester?” The archangel mocked, maliciously. His eyes shone darkly. “You two have some unresolved issues, I’ve heard…”

“Gabriel…” Castiel called in a warning tone, forcing his sibling to look at him once again.

The two angelic beings exchanged some more silent words and then Gabriel lifted his hands up in surrender, even if his reluctance was evident. He hated being ordered around. Usually he was the one making the rules. And breaking them too.

“Fine, fine. No more games,” he muttered unhappily shooting his brother a resentful glance. Then he turned back to Dean. “Listen, Winchester. I need to be alone with Sam because, as I said already, the process is complex, and I need to be completely focused. Besides, it involves invading Sam’s _intimacy_ , physically and especially mentally. I believe that your brother would prefer having some privacy. Not to mention that I challenge anyone to relax and concentrate with you giving off so much hostility.”

The older hunter considered his words carefully, but the frown on his face stayed, together with the look of mistrust. “What do you want to do, Sam?” He asked after a minute of silence, turning to look at his brother instead of answering Gabriel. He still didn’t like the whole deal, but the archangel’s serious tone had persuaded him that for once the creature wasn’t trying to play some nasty trick on them. If it had been his decision, he would have probably said no anyway, but he understood that he couldn’t choose for his sibling. Every time he had done that he had just ended up ruining things between them. It was Sam the one who had to deal with the consequences of the broken wall, so it was only fair that he could decide on his own what was better for him. “It’s about you, so the choice is yours.”

“I’d rather be alone with Gabriel, if he says that’s better that way,” Sam answered with only a little bit of hesitation. He shot a brief look at the former Trickster, who nodded at him in approval. Those golden eyes bore no trace of mischief and so he allowed himself to believe that the other wasn’t playing some sort of perverse game.

“You absolutely sure, Sammy?” Dean asked again, stressing each word.

“Yeah, Dean.” The younger Winchester nodded, with more determination that time. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“It’s settled then,” Castiel stated emotionless, ending the discussion and getting up from his spot on the armchair rest. “You should eat something and rest for a while before the ritual, Sam. It will be tiring for you as well.”

The younger hunter nodded and stood up in turn, leaving the room for the kitchen, where Bobby was just about to put the food in their plates. He would have lied if he had said that he wasn’t nervous, but he felt a bit relieved to. If everything went as planned, he would soon feel better once again. And he was honestly looking forward to it

Dean made to follow, but stopped in the threshold shot the archangel another glare. “Mess with Sam and I’ll personally kill you and make sure that no one, not even God, will be able to bring you back again,” he claimed in a threatening tone, before disappearing in the kitchen in turn.

Gabriel ignored him and sighed, letting himself fall back in the armchair once again and bringing the lollipop back into his mouth. Castiel instead went back to his spot near the window, lost in his gloomy thoughts. The sound of the dishes and the more relaxed chatting of the three hunters filled the living room, rushing past them as if they hadn’t been there at all.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Sam’s sleep was anything but peaceful. His dreams were full of fire and pain, Lucifer’s manic laughter echoing in the background together with his own screams. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils, making him sick, and the smoky heat made his eyes burn and water. He could hardly breathe and the little amount of air that he managed to take in remained stuck in his throat, making him choke. He was struggling hard, but the chains that tore his limbs apart kept him in place, preventing him from escaping and drawing hot fresh blood out of him at the slightest movement. He was aware that it was just a dream, a memory, but everything felt so real that remembering that he wasn’t in his living hell anymore was almost impossible. He couldn’t wake up, break away from the torture of his own mind. He was being drowned by those memories and he was afraid that in the end he would go insane.

“Sam! Dammit! Wake up!”

A voice was calling for him among the flames, so weak that he could have just imagined it, and it was immediately covered by the Devil’s mocking one. Lucifer’s face filled his dream vision, sharp nails tearing his flesh apart. “No one can save you, Sam,” the Morningstar was whispering in his ears. “It’s just you and me. As it was meant to be…”

Sam screamed and struggled harder, but he only obtained to make the pain worse and to cause a new laughter coming out from his torturer. He chocked again, trying to form the words of a prayer that remained stuck in his throat. No one would have answered anyway. He had prayed, yelled for help so many times during the period spent in the Cage and no one had bothered to come and offer him even just a bit of hope. And no one would come to save him from himself, no matter how hard he fought or scream.

It was then that, suddenly, something changed. A soft, gentle warmth blossomed on his forehead, soothing the pain and quickly spreading to his whole body. The burning heat was replaced by a pleasant sensation of coolness that made the ache disappear and left his limbs light and relaxed. The panic that had been smothering him was replaced by a feeling of safety that cleared any trace left by the nightmare.

Sam jerked awake, Dean’s strong hands preventing him from falling from the sofa where he had fallen asleep, and Gabriel’s fingers still on his forehead. Castiel, instead, was nowhere to be seen. He felt dazed and disoriented, but at least now he could tell the difference between what was real and what was just a dreadful memory.

“Sammy, are you alright?” The older hunter immediately asked, a look of deep worry on his face. “I couldn’t wake you up.”

“Now I am,” he replied slowly, letting his brother help him in a seated position. The nightmare had left him even more drained, but the nice sensation that had woken him up still lingered, making him feel a lot better. He turned his eyes towards the archangel. “Thanks,” he mumbled quietly, but meaning it.

The latter shrugged. “Don’t mention it, Sammy boy,” he answered, withdrawing his fingers and standing up from where he had been kneeling on the floor. “Come on, it’s time to fix you once and for all. The old man said that we can borrow the panic room. We’re not expecting an attack so soon but…It’s safer. And more private.”

The younger Winchester nodded and Dean freed him from his grip, resting his hand on the other’s shoulder instead. “Bobby has gone to take care of some business in a near town. He won’t be back before tomorrow,” he informed him then. “I’ll go and have a walk for the next two hours, but I won’t be too far. If this prick tries anything, you shout and I’ll send him straight back to Death. Alright, Sam?”

“I’m sure it won’t be necessary, Dean,” Sam tried to reassure him with a sigh, while the archangel fought down a laugh. “But thanks anyway.”

“Fine. I’m leaving,” his brother muttered, sounding not completely convinced and shooting one last warning glance at the former Trickster. Then he turned around and headed out of the room.

“Castiel is in the backyard!” Gabriel called after him, making him stop on the threshold. “Just in case you wanted to know.”

The older Winchester just stared at him again for a moment and then left without a word, but he was clearly heading for the back door. The archangel rolled his eyes and shook his head, while Sam shot a worried look in the direction where his brother had disappeared.

“I hope they’ll be alright,” he said in a slightly concerned tone. He knew how his older sibling could be when he got upset, especially with someone he cared for. “Dean is still quite angry with Cas. We all are, but he is the one who suffered his betrayal the most. He won’t forgive him so easily. And not before saying something really stupid and really painful.”

Gabriel nodded, but didn’t seem worried. “My brother can take care of himself. Even if, whenever Dean Winchester is concerned, you’re never wrong if you worry about him. I’ll check on him once we’ll be done.” He held out a hand for the younger hunter. “Let’s go. I need to explain you a couple of things before we start.”

The latter hesitated for a brief second, but then he took it and allowed the archangel to lift him up on his feet. Gabriel gestured him to follow and they walked downstairs to the panic room. Once inside he sat down on the edge of the small folding bed and watched the other locking the door with a snap of fingers. He didn’t like the place very much, it brought back the unpleasant memories of the time when he had spent days in there, detoxifying from his latest overdose of demon blood. And yet those episodes where nothing compared to what he had experienced in the Cage. He couldn’t help shivering. How was he supposed to deal with those memories?

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Gabriel grabbed a chair and sat down in front of him, a bit closer than what was considered proper.

“So, Sam,” the shorter man spoke, sounding almost amused. A small grin was playing on his lips, but the look in his eyes was once again deadly serious. “This ritual can be done in two ways.” He lifted his middle finger and index to underline his statement. “The boring and painful one, or the pleasurable, fun one. I want you to know that I’ve never told this to my previous… _patients._ I’ve always chosen the one that I found more appropriate for the person involved. However, since I have a soft spot on you, I’m letting you choose. I’m very generous, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Gabriel,” Sam said sarcastically, as he shifted uncomfortably on the mattress, trying to put a bit of distance between the two of them. He had a bad feeling about the whole affair. “Now, since I have to choose, why don’t you stop fooling around and tell me how the two methods work?” He offered then, a bit hesitantly.

His uncertainty seemed to amuse the archangel even more. “Always straight down to business. You should learn to relax a bit, Sammich. But fair enough,” he answered with a larger smirk. “So. The first method sees me invading by force your pretty brilliant mind and digging around until I find all the pieces of your wall. Then I put them together. It’s complicate for me and painful for you. Your mind will automatically build some defences against my presence and I’ll have to crush them one by one. In the aftermath you’ll feel completely drained, nauseous and you’ll probably suffer from nasty migraines for a couple of days. Not to mention that if some bastard tries to smash the wall down again, we’ll be back to square one. I’ll make it stronger than the one Death gave you, but I can’t guarantee that it will last forever. Not the best thing, isn’t it?”

“I’m not really happy with this one,” the younger hunter admitted, making a face and resting his palms on his tights. He was hoping for something more definitive since the wall hadn’t been a very safe choice in the first place. “Oh, by the way. You said you’ve used this ritual before. Will it work for sure?”

The former Trickster nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. I mean. I’ve never actually used it to solve a problem like yours, but the process is similar,” he answered with confidence. “I swear that you’ll be fine, no matter which method we use. My Grace has never failed.”

Sam ran a hand in his hair, deciding to trust the other’s words. “Alright. I believe you. So, what’s the second way?”

Gabriel’s eyes shone maliciously at that. “Well, with your consent, I’ll… _shower_ you with my Grace, outside and inside, and then we’ll let it do its work. You won’t feel almost any pain. On the contrary, you’ll feel greater than you can imagine. No relevant side effects, and you’ll be fresh as a daisy in one day. Not to mention that this way I’ll be able to work straight on your soul. Which means repairing it. The memories will stay with you and you’ll have to deal with them, but you won’t risk dying or go crazy, because your soul will be whole and healed.” He leant back against the chair backseat, crossing his arms on his chest. “Of course, this one particular method requires a very _intimate_ contact between my Grace and your soul. And your utter and unconditioned approval.”

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but before he could start speaking a terrible doubt crossed his mind. He stared at the archangel astonished for some moments and seeing the other’s grin becoming wider and wider confirmed his suspects. He let out an incredulous groan. “Gabriel…Please, tell me that we’re not talking about _sex_ ,” he managed to let out, distancing himself even more from his speaker.

“Oh, _indeed_ we are talking about sex, Sammy boy!” The shorter man chuckled, clearly delighted by his reaction. He had been sure that the hunter wouldn’t have liked that detail, but it was still true that the second method was the safer and the one that worked best. “You’re not a blushing virgin, so stop making that face.” Time for a lesson on biblical work. “You should have heard about the ecstasy of saints, haven’t you? Well, how do you think it works? Most humans are too limited to experience angelic Grace in its true form. It would destroy you, mind and body. So, Father has found a way to convert it in something that you can actually manage. And, among the sensations you can experience, the one that is closer, mentally and physically, to beatitude is having an orgasm. The only difference is the intensity of the feeling. The whole experience is much more intense when it’s caused by the touch of Grace.”

The hunter let out a groan, trying to chase away all the inappropriate images that had come to his mind. “Are you telling me that every time a saint has experienced divine ecstasy it was because he or she was having an intercourse with an angel?”

“Of course _not_! We’re not that promiscuous. We are not demons,” Gabriel stated, rolling his eyes. “In those occasions we just envelop the person in our powers. When a soul is touched by our Grace it experiences an explosion of pleasure that in a living and corporeal human is translated into an orgasm.” He sighed. “Your case is different. I need to _rebuild_ your soul. And to do that I need to physically lay my hands on it and push my Grace to its deepest core. Can you see the difference?”

Sam frowned but nodded. “I think so. Thanks for the lesson,” he muttered, with a tone that seemed to be saying “you didn’t need to be so specific”. Then he moved a bit further back on the folding bed. He didn’t want the former Trickster to get the wrong idea. He might have grasped what the other had explained, but it didn’t mean that he had changed his mind on the matter. “I’m still not having sex with you”

The archangel looked a bit disappointed, but he shrugged. “Oh, what a pity. Fine, we’ll go for the boring method then,” he agreed without even trying to complain. “I’ll do my best to strengthen the damned wall. None of us wishes to have you hallucinating Lucifer.”

The younger hunter raised an eyebrow at the lack of protests, puzzled. Was that all? Not even a bit of insistence? There had to be a trick somewhere. He knew too well that Gabriel never gave up easily when he wanted something. And he had had the impression that the other would have been more than glad to use the sex in his case. Or had he misread the archangel’s interest perhaps? That last consideration caused him to feel a pang of disappointment, which he tried his best to ignore.

“Why aren’t you trying to seduce me into sleeping with you?” He asked instead, carefully studying his speaker’s expression.

“Because this is not just about me fucking with you, in any sense, Sam,” Gabriel explained matter-of-factly. His voice was serious as it had almost never been before and he made sure to show the other that he meant every word. “It’s an ancient ritual and we need to get it right. I have no idea of what the consequences could be otherwise.”

He raised his eyes to the ceiling. He loved playing the Trickster’s role and he was an asshole by heart, but he was still an angel and spreading sorrow without a real reason wasn’t just his thing. He pranked always and only the people who had deserved it in some way. Besides, he hadn’t lied when he had stated to have a soft spot on the younger Winchester. His soul and mind fascinated him and he had always found Sam much more entertaining and interesting than most of the humans he had interacted with. In short, he liked the kid, and that was not something that happened frequently.

“As I said, you must be completely willingly or it won’t work,” he went on after a moment of silence. “Maybe it can be hard for you to believe, but I don’t wish to hurt you even more. So it makes no sense to force myself onto you.” Then he offered a small smirk and winked. “Even if I’d be _infinitely_ grateful if you decided that, maybe, letting me physically take care of you is not such a bad idea, _Sammy_.”

Sam let out a small laugh as he heard the last statement. “That’s the Gabriel I know! You were starting to sound like Cas and it was a bit weird…” He commented in a lighter tone, a small smile gracing his lips in turn.

Then he looked down at his hands, thoughtful. He wasn’t very fond of the idea of letting an angel having his way with him, but he wasn’t eager to experience hours of intense pain followed by days of migraines and nausea either. And he wanted that problem solved definitely once and for all. Besides, this wasn’t just a random angel, it was an _archangel_ who seemed to have developed some odd kind of fondness for him. And it was _Gabriel_. Dean wouldn’t have approved at all, he was sure of this. Most likely he would have to bear his constant complaining for weeks. But this choice concerned him and him only, his brother had no saying in it. It was his mind, his _soul_ at stake. He was the one who would have to bear the eventual consequences of his decision.

He ran a hand in his hair, slowly, lost in thoughts. Maybe indulging in Gabriel’s offer was a really bad choice. But, on the other hand, he was tired of having to suffer to redeem himself from a sin he hadn’t chosen to commit. He hadn’t asked to be given demon blood when he was six month old, he hadn’t asked to be Lucifer’s vessel. He shivered once again at the vivid memories of how hard the withdrawal he had suffered in that same room while detoxifying from the demonic blood had been. He didn’t want to go through something similar again, especially if he had an alternative. What he had experience in Lucifer’s Cage had been enough for his whole life.

Gabriel kept quiet, giving the hunter all the time he needed to carefully examine his options. He could have easily read the Sam’s thoughts, but he had promised to his brother to play fair for once, so he restrained his curiosity and kept out of the other’s mind. He focused instead on reaching out for Castiel’s Grace, picking up strong signs of uneasiness. Whatever his sibling and Dean were discussing wasn’t pleasant for sure. He wondered if he should go and check on them, but he had the feeling that the other angel wouldn’t have approved. After all it was something between him and the older Winchester, no one else had the right to interfere.

“Alright. You win,” Sam stated in that very moment with renewed determination, almost starting him and bringing him back in the room without warning. He wasn’t going to choose pain once again if he could avoid it. He still felt bad for everything he had done while soulless, but he was also started to persuade himself that he had suffered enough for his mistakes. He had reached the conclusion that it was time for him to turn the page and look for something good for himself instead. Because both he and Dean deserved good too. “Let’s do it.”

“Come again?” The archangel asked, caught off guard. He had imagined that the younger Winchester would consider all his options, but he hadn’t expected him to decide for the second one. “You are letting me…?”

“Yeah,” Sam cut him off before he could end the sentence. The fact that he had chosen the more unconventional way didn’t mean that he was completely at ease with it. And surely he didn’t need to hear what they were about to do from the other over and over again. They were still talking about of him having sex with an archangel turned trickster and any time he thought about it, the whole idea sounded worse and worse. But he wasn’t changing his mind, not this time. “Are there any ritual phrases I must recite?” He asked instead, trying to remind them both that this wasn’t for pleasure but just business.

Gabriel shook his head, looking amused and pleasantly surprised. “No useless stuff needed this time. It’s more straightforward than your usual rituals. You don’t have to do anything, all the work is on me. Just close your eyes and think of England!” He smirked a bit at his own joke, then he got up from his chair and went to stand right in front of the hunter. His expression turned suddenly serious once again. “Sam. Are you sure you want to do this?” He questioned crossing his arms on his chest.

Sam swallowed hard. The archangel’s vessels was ridiculously short compared to the powers of the being who inhabited it, but in that moment he felt like Gabriel was towering over him and imposing his presence on the entire room. Their eyes locked, hazel in bright gold. The creature’s orbs were deep and mostly warm, but there was something dark and dangerous in them too. He could almost taste the archangel’s immense power as he just sat there, unable to move or look away. The sensation wasn’t completely comfortable, but somehow it felt strangely reassuring. “Yes,” he let out in a quiet whisper after a moment. “I…I give you my consent, Gabriel.”

The shorter man nodded, satisfied by the answer, and moved to sit down on in the hunter’s lap, straddling him and resting his hands on his chest. The younger Winchester immediately tensed at that, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the other’s golden brown eyes. In the back of his mind he couldn’t help thinking that now he understood why Dean could never break the eye contact with Castiel easily when the two of them stared at each other.

Gabriel waited just a brief moment and leant forward, slowly closing the distance between them, his fingers gripping slightly at the human’s shirt. When their lips touched, the contact was light and chaste, which surprised Sam. He had expected the archangel to be much more rushed and rougher, but instead the other was apparently giving him the time to adapt and accept what was happening. He swallowed quietly. It was nothing he had done before, he could manage it. He forced himself to relax and then allowed his eyelids to fall shut, as he focused on the feeling of that mouth slowly caressing his own, unconsciously pressing forward to kiss it back. It wasn’t unpleasant, not at all, and his skin was already started to tingle as bits of angelic power ran on it. Maybe it would be easier than he had imagined.

Exactly when he finally managed to relax, he felt Gabriel smirking against his mouth, as if the other had just read his thoughts. One moment later a tongue was licking his lower lip, asking for entrance, while the hands on his chest started to move around, running along his sides and upper arms, teasingly. He hesitated for some seconds, and then surrendered to the silent request and opened his mouth, allowing the archangel to invade it to his liking.

The former Trickster didn’t have to be invited twice. His grip on Sam’s shirt became steadier and he thrust his tongue in the hunter’s mouth, kissing him hard and forcing a surprised gasp out of the latter’s throat. He felt the human’s body tensing again for a moment, but then the Sam’s hands found his hips, pulling him forward so that they were almost flushed against each other and that was the last reassurance he needed to keep going. The younger Winchester was even letting him decide the rhythm of the kiss. He couldn’t have asked for a better reaction.

He slowed his movements down after the initial rush and gently urged Sam to kiss him back again, cupping his jaw with one hand and angling his head to allow them to make the kiss deeper. The hunter willingly complied, this time without hesitation, their tongues touching and sucking each other eagerly. The archangel let out a hum as he felt his power starting to flow naturally from his vessel to the human’s body and he couldn’t help a pleased smirk when the other let out another lower moan in response to the sudden wave of pleasure. He knew very well what effects the Grace could have on a person and they were just getting started.

“Oh _,_ ” Sam groaned, a little out of breath, as his mouth was released to allow him to breathe again. He was already starting to feel hot and his body seemed very eager to react to the Trickster’s touch. “I’m starting to understand much better your little speech about Grace and ecstasy.”

Gabriel chuckled in approval. “And that was just a kiss, my dear Samsquatch. We’re just warming up here! Just wait and see what comes next.” He let one of his hands slowly travelling down along the hunter’s built chest, reaching the front of his jeans and cupping the half already hard flesh he found there. “And here I thought I was the eager one,” he teased waggling his eyebrows, but there was no real malice in his tone.

The younger Winchester had to bit his tongue not to gasp when the archangel’s fingers touched his erection through the cloth, but he couldn’t stop the around heat that lit his face up. “Shut up, you Trickster,” he talked back with a scoff, but he didn’t move away and instead bent his neck to kiss the other again. It was the only way he had to shut him up.

Their mouths started to slide against on each other once again, almost as if one was trying to devour the other every time they met for brief but hard kisses. Gabriel’s hands resumed their travelling along Sam’s upper body, fingers literally deleting the younger Winchester’s clothes and leaving only warm bare skin after their passage. Had he been conscious enough to understand what was happening, the hunter would have worried about the fact that his clothes were quickly disappearing, but in that moment he was too distracted to care. The archangel’s tongue seemed to be sucking the breath out of him and the feeling of his palms on his sensitive flesh was amazing.

Sam let out another low moan when the Trickster stopped his movements to tease his already erected nipples, sending waves of hot pleasure straight down to his crotch. He was sure that the bastard had to be smirking widely seeing that he had already managed to reduce him to a moaning mess, but he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed. Not when Gabriel was making him feel so good, physically and mentally. Each touch caused an unknown, more than pleasurable sensation inside him, a feeling that seemed to sink deeper and deeper each time, methodically erasing the scars of terror and sorrow that the memories and the nightmares had left on his soul.

He didn’t resist when Gabriel pushed him down to make him lie on his back on the folding bed. Instead he gripped at his shoulders and brought him down with him, realising only in that moment that the shorter man had got ridden of his own jacket and shirt in turn somewhere along the way. The feeling of their bare chests pressed together was amazing and Sam couldn’t help moaning a stream of curses as the angelic Grace soaked his skin together with the archangel’s body heat.

Gabriel chuckled from above him and suddenly moved away, sitting up right in his lap and tilting his head slightly. The smirk that was now gracing his lips boded nothing good. He had to admit that Sam was surely a sight, all flushed with arousal, especially considering how objectively attractive he was on his own. His pupils were blown with lust even if the other was trying his best to keep himself together, which was exactly the opposite of what he wanted. He longed to see the hunter coming undone under his mouth and fingers, to have him spread open just for him to take. He licked his lips slightly. He could imagine himself working his fingers along Sam’s body until the hunter was unable to think. He knew very well where to touch and how much pressure put in those spots to make the other come hard and untouched as he watched him falling apart in his hands. He sucked a quiet breath in, feeling his own desire growing stronger at those most likely impossible fantasies. He knew that what they were doing meant nothing besides him treating the human’s soul and that he shouldn’t allow his mind to travel so much, but he didn’t care. The fact that it was all business didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy it in the meanwhile.

Sam felt a shiver running down his spine as he noticed the archangel devouring him with his eyes. He knew that it was supposed to be just a ritual, but the hunger in those golden orbs, together with the Grace, turned him impossibly on. “Gabriel…” He managed to say while catching his breath. He had wanted it to sound like a warning but his voice came out rough and almost needy, which amused the creature on the top of him even more.

Gabriel winked at him playfully. “Don’t worry, Sammy. I’m going to take such a good care of you…” He teased, squeezing the other’s side briefly, and then snapped his fingers.

The hunter couldn’t stop the loud gasp that was forced out of him as a new rush of power hit him, and as the last layers of clothes that still covered him disappeared. His skin was left bare in direct contact with the strangely warm sheets and especially with the rough material of the archangel’s jeans pressed exactly against his now fully erected member. Damned Trickster. He should have imagined that he wouldn’t have refrained from playing with him, even if they should technically be performing some sort of ancient, complex ritual.

“Sex is ancient and complex, Sammich,” Gabriel stated out of the blue, not resisting to the temptation of reading what was going on in Sam’s mind and receiving a glare for that, which he promptly ignored. He had enjoyed the noise that the hunter had just made and honestly he couldn’t wait to hear more. “Stop pretending to be angry with me. I know that you’re enjoying yourself.” He raised his eyebrows and pushed his hips forward, rubbing shamelessly against the younger Winchester’s hard on and forcing other strangled moans from his lips. “Aren’t you?”

“Son…of ah… _bitch_!” Sam hissed, biting his lower lip to prevent more embarrassing noises to leave his mouth but failing miserably.

Never in his life he had felt so much, apart from the time he had spent in Lucifer’s Cage. It was almost unbearable, but in a positive way. He didn’t know exactly what the angelic power was doing to him, but it seemed to have sharpened his senses beyond the human limits and he felt completely overwhelmed by what he was feeling, both physically and mentally. Any small brush of fingers set his body on fire and his mind was completely lost in pleasure. It was too much to bear, and yet he just wanted more of it, no matter if it would destroy him. It was terrifying because everything was totally out of his control, even his own desires, but at the same time he couldn’t bring himself to fear. Oddly he had never felt so much at ease in a similar situation, completely bare, mind and body, in front of another person. Not even with Jess, when they cuddled after making love or when they shared simple gestures of daily intimacy. Gabriel was making him feel so safe and comfortable that it was disquieting.

In that moment the archangel stopped his movements, allowing the hunter to come back to the present, and then leant down, resting his elbows on his chest. “You know, Sam, I’ve always thought that your brother was the swearing type,” he commented, amused, running a finger along the human’s neck and causing the other’s breath to hitch. “But I guess it must run in the family.”

“And I thought that you needed to be completely focused for this ritual,” Sam pointed out, trying to breathe in deeply. His hands itched to reach out and touch the creature’s skin, to bring him closer and to have him ravishing him outside and inside. He slowly lifted them, resting his palms on Gabriel’s naked side, but didn’t move them further down. “Aren’t you playing around a bit too much? It’s my soul we’re talking about.”

“Oh, aren’t you enjoying my attentions? Or maybe are you just eager to feel me buried deep inside you, Sammy? I couldn’t blame you for that. I can’t wait either,” the shorter man teased, his fingers caressing the area around the hunter’s left nipple. He pinched it without warning, drawing another gasp from the other. “But, if you really need to know, I can assure you that I’m very focused right now.” He lowered his head so that he was speaking right in his ear, mouth almost pressed against the skin. “I’m completely focused on _you_.”

The hunter felt himself blushing hotly at that, something that hadn’t happened to him in years, but he was too distracted by the goosebumps that Gabriel’s warm breath was giving him to care. He was also slowly starting to become once again aware of the maddening pressure in his crotch and of the fact that his erection was still pressed against the rough fabric of the other’s jeans. His hands tightened on Gabriel’s side. He was beginning to get desperate for that same friction that had made him curse not too much time before. That damned archangel had better stop all that foreplay and go straight to the point, and soon, or he would most likely explode.

He lifted moved one of his hand away from the Trickster’s hip and let it wander slowly along the other’s chest, feeling the strong muscles under the incredibly soft skin. He experimented a bit after running away to Stanford, but he had never really been with a man before. It felt different from what he was used to. Gabriel’s body didn’t have the curves and the softness he had unconsciously expected and surely the idea of having the hard member that was in that moment heaving his stomach inside him was mostly new to him, but it didn’t made him as nervous as he had expected. The feeling of a warm body against his own was the same and the addiction of the effects of the Grace just made everything better and easier.

His fingers reached the archangel’s incredibly soft hair and sunk into it as he brought the other’s head down for a new kiss. He tried to keep it slow for a moment, but soon he was forced to deepen it by the more than enthusiastic response that he got from the shorter man. The angelic power sunk even deeper in his soul as the other’s skilled tongue mapped every corner of his mouth, running against his own, and he couldn’t help moaning loudly once again. He was starting to think that, in spite of everything, he had made the right choice agreeing to the ritual sex.

Gabriel kept kissing the hunter for a while, tugging his hair roughly and angling his head in a way that allowed him to carefully lick and taste any part of his mouth, and then broke the kiss, leaving the other flush and breathless. He allowed himself to enjoy the sight for a moment, before pecking Sam’s lips lightly and moving away.

“Alright! Time for foreplay is up,” he announced in a cheerful tone, pushing himself up again and moving downward, so that he was now sitting on Sam’s tight. “We get to the next step now, kiddo. Try not to freak out on me, will ya?”

The younger Winchester suddenly felt the urge to cover his now exposed erection, but forced himself not to, placing instead his hands on the archangel’s still clothed legs. He wasn’t a prude virgin and he had no intention of offering the bastard another reason to make fun of him. He ran his palms up towards the evident bulge at the centre of the archangel’s crotch, stopping close to it, but without touching. Gabriel was obviously playing with him, but he could sense no malice in his ways. It had to be the Trickster’s odd way to try to put him at ease before they got to the most intimate part of the ritual. He hid a small grin. As soon as he had recovered he would tease the archangel for having been so caring and nice with him. Oh, sweet revenge.

“I’ll try,” he answered then, ignoring the clear provocation in the other’s tone, and he felt a hint of nervousness in his gut when the shorter man’s serious eyes locked in his own.

“Just relax and let me take care of you, Sam,” Gabriel whispered in an almost soft tone and then, out of the blue, his mouth was pressed hotly on the hollow of Sam’s throat, licking and sucking the skin hard enough to bruise.

The hunter yelped, caught off guard by the sudden rush, but didn’t have the time to protest because one second later the archangel was pressed against him, completely naked in turn and _everywhere_ on his body. He felt skilled fingers brushing every spot of his chest and limbs, tangling in his hair and caressing his face. The other’s lips sucked on a particularly sensitive spot under his earlobe and then moved to work on his nipples, before moving back up to his own mouth to steal heated kisses. Gabriel’s tongue seemed to want to devour his whole skin, leaving behind hot, wet trails that got lower and lower.

Sam found himself shaking with pleasure, overwhelmed once again by the sensations and unable to control the sounds and the broken words that came out of his throat. He could feel something building up inside him, slowly but steadily. The feeling was similar to the one that preceded a climax, but at the same time was completely different, _deeper_. It was awfully physical but it transcended his flesh, ripping his whole being apart with an explosion of joy and delight.

When Gabriel finally stopped nibbling the sensitive skin of his hips and swallowed his erection in a single fluid movement, hands gripping hard at his ass, the little control younger Winchester still had was shattered completely and he found himself moaning and groaning louder than he had ever had. The archangel’s mouth was unbearably hot and tight around him and he couldn’t remember the last time someone had sucked him off so passionately. He was so caught up in the mind-blowing feeling that he barely noticed when lube-slicked fingers started to tease his entrance and he felt just a little bit of discomfort when three of them slipped one by one inside him, stretching and teasing.

“ _Jesus Christ_!” He swore in a high voice as the archangel hit a particular spot inside him, gripping at the sheets so hard that his knuckles turned white. Never in his previous sexual encounters he had felt that particular kind of pleasure. It hurt, in an extremely good way, and it sent hot vibes along his spine.

The shorter man chuckled around him at that, his throat sending vibration straight along the hunter’s member, and then he removed his mouth from it to the other’s frustrated disappointment. “Not quite. Try again?” He teased, running the fingers of his free hand along the hard length.

“Fucking archangel! I swear that…” The younger Winchester managed to protest, but then the other pressed against his prostate harder and he lost the train of his thoughts. “ _Gabriel_!”

“That’s me, Sammy,” Gabriel mumbled in a gentle tone, removing his fingers and forcing in that way another disappointed groan out of the human. He shifted, positioning himself on his knees between Sam’s tights and got a hold of the hunter’s hips, his eyes never leaving the other’s face. “Relax. I’ve got you.”

The hunter tensed as he felt something larger poking his entrance, but he forced himself to relaxed as he had been told. His hands grabbed Gabriel’s wrist as the archangel pushed inside him maddeningly slowly. Sam cried out, in both pain and pleasure, as his body spasmed a bit at the foreign intrusion. However, as soon as the Trickster was completely buried inside him, a new, stronger wave of Grace rushed inside him, deleting any uncomfortable feeling and leaving him completely overwhelmed with pleasure.

The archangel gave him just a moment to adjust and catch his breath, and then he pulled out again, just to slam back into him faster and hard. Sam gasped at that, wincing slightly at first, but then the angelic power wrapped around his soul again and soon he found himself almost screaming in pleasure. His numb mind went a bit blanker and blanker at each rough thrust and he arched his back when Gabriel’s hands wrapped around his member, shifting his hips to allow the other to go deeper. The Grace washed over him with force, drowning him in a blinding light that crept inside the cracks of his haunted soul, healing them one by one. The pain and the despair he had experienced in Lucifer’s Cage became a vivid, horrible but far memory and the fallen Morningstar’s laughter was replaced by Gabriel’s panting breath in his ears.

He didn’t how much time it had passed, if mere minutes or years. All he was aware of was the steady rhythm of Gabriel’s thrusts and the soothing presence of his Grace around his soul. Then, suddenly, his body shuddered violently, overwhelmed by that pleasure he couldn’t take anymore, and he reached his climax in an explosion of light, the archangel’s name on his lips in a silent prayer. His limbs tensed in a deliciously painful spasm and a moment he felt Gabriel coming inside him, whispering his name in response to his invocation. He could have sworn that the voice he had heard coming from the other’s lips was different from his usual one. It was an unearthly symphony he couldn’t describe with words, a chant made of beautiful voices and clear sounds of musical instruments. The archangel’s true voice. He realised that there were tears rolling down his cheeks and for a moment he thought there were galaxies slowly dancing before his eyes.

Gabriel went still on top of him, remained in that position for a few moments before pulling out and letting himself collapsing on the top of the hunter. He felt a bit drained because of the amount of power that he had been forced to use to put together the pieces of the younger Winchester’s soul, but he didn’t mind it. The human felt amazing and he could only imagine how sex could be when the other was less passive. He smirked a bit to himself. He should really try to seduce him again. Besides, he already liked him as a person despite their troubled history. Maybe that ritual would lead to unexpected consequences. And he was looking forwards to them.

Unaware of his thoughts, Sam let out a quiet hum, feeling his body relax as his mind stayed blank, enveloped in a pleasurable numbness and at peace with the whole creation. He smiled softly, not completely aware of where he was and of what he was doing, and maybe even of who he was. He sneaked his arms around the archangel’s waist, enjoying the feeling of the other’s fingers drying the tears and the sweat from his skin.

They remained like that for a while, in a comfortable silence. Gabriel kept on drawing Enochian symbols on the young man’s hot skin, whispering ancient words against it. The ritual did involve some formulas after all, but Sam didn’t need to worry about that. He needed the human’s brain to be completely focused on the healing force of his power. The rest was just a detail. When he was done he settled more comfortably against Sam’s chest, the latter’s body instinctively shifting to accommodate his weight better. He stirred a bit and closed his eyes, finally letting himself enjoy the aftermath in turn as his Grace tingled, reforming itself.

Several minutes passed slowly, lingering in the air that smelt of sex and incense, but then the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the sudden sound of steps hitting the stairs. The archangel groaned, annoyed by the intrusion, but in one moment he was out of the human’s embrace. He snapped his fingers, getting his body clean and his clothes back, and then carefully threw the sheets over Sam, to keep him warm and to cover his still naked body.

He just had the time to sit back down on the bed before the door was flung opened and a clearly distressed Dean made his entrance in the room. The older Winchester moved his gaze from Gabriel to his still dazed brother, eyes widening in disbelief. “What the actual _fuck_?!” He exclaimed incredulously and the archangel did his best not to laugh in his face.


	3. III.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!
> 
> I'm back, a little late this time. Sorry about that, I've been busy...
> 
> So...Chapter 3 is basically what happens between Dean and Castiel while Sam and Gabriel are discussing the healing ritual. But things between them are far away from being fixed. Moreover, we get to see Charlie and Crowley in the final part too!
> 
> I really hope someone is enjoying the story. Thanks a lot for all the bookmarks and the kudos, I appreciated it! If you could spare a moment to give me an opinion it would be gold! Just to know if I'm writing something decent!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 4th 2015_

Dean found Castiel standing in the backyard as Gabriel had told him. The light breeze made the angel’s trench coat flutter, the sound reminding the hunter of wings flapping. The creature was completely still, apparently lost in his own thoughts, and did nothing as he approached him, but the older Winchester knew that the other was aware of his presence. Cas always was for some odd reason. He stopped his tracks only when he was standing almost by the side of the creature he used to consider his best friend.

“Castiel,” he called after some more moments of silence, without looking at him. His voice was cold, but emotionless. He saw the angel immediately turning towards him with the corner of his eye, but he kept his gaze in front of him, showing no intention to make eye contact as he usually would. “Walk with me.”

He moved forward without waiting for an answer but Castiel instantly followed, striding silently next to him, his pace matching the human’s perfectly. They weren’t touching, but as usual they were closer than necessary, and in that moment the fact annoyed Dean more than it usually did. He couldn’t stand the fact that, after everything that he had done to them, the angel still acted as if they were cool. He was aware that the other probably didn’t know any other way to behave around him, but that knowledge made his irritation grow even more instead of soothing it. The bastard wasn’t even trying to be different, to show some shame. It was like Castiel didn’t understand the seriousness of what he had done, the real extent of the harm he had caused.

A part of him was aware that it wasn’t true, had caught the deep hurt and the burning regret in the angel’s stormy eyes, had seen his desperate need of forgiveness. However, he had shut it up, ignoring it. He was furious, and he needed a scapegoat on which he could unload his anger and sorrow. And Cas was the perfect target. He was guilty and persuaded that he deserved the insults and the blame, which meant that he wouldn’t even fight back or try to answer his accusations. Dean would be able to unload all his anger and frustration and he would be told that he had all the rights to behave in that way. The opportunity was just too good, he couldn’t find the strength to stop himself from exploiting it.

“Dean…” Castiel tried after some minutes of silence, as they walked slowly among the rusty, destroyed cars.

“Don’t. Just don’t. I don’t want to hear it, whatever you are going to say,” the hunter interrupted curtly, his voice almost shaking with all the emotions that were fighting each other inside him. He turned towards his speaker just in time to see him slumping his shoulders and lowering his gaze. His annoyance grew even more at the sight, even if he also felt his stomach tightening lightly. He had never seen his friend looking more broken than in that moment. Apart from when Zachariah had sent him in that crazy post-apocalyptic future. The memory made him feel uncomfortable and he quickly shoved it away, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t you dare to look like that. You have no right to. You’re not the victim here,” he accused in a even harsher tone. “You messed up and now you must face the consequences of your actions.”

“I understand. And I am deeply sorry, Dean. For all the harm I caused,” the angel mumbled again, but his eyes stayed fixed on the ground. He could feel the human’s burning stare on him and the hurt hidden under all that anger made him feel unworthy and deeply ashamed of his whole existence. He had failed completely, both himself and the people who trusted him. His best friend was right, he had didn’t deserve any kind of compassion and not even to ask for it.

“Being sorry is not enough, Castiel. Do you know what you’ve done? Can you understand it? Or your fucking being-an-angel-of-the-Lord shit doesn’t allow you to get the real meaning of your actions? Look at me, dammit!” Dean attacked him again, stopping abruptly and grabbing his shoulder to force the other to face him. He wanted to punch him, to dig his nails in his flesh until he drew blood out of it. The angel could have easily overpowered him, but he knew that right now he would have just taken anything without complaining. The only thing that stopped him from physically trying to harm the creature in front of him was the awareness that he would have just ended up hurting himself instead. “Damn you, Castiel! You…” He stopped and threw his hands in the air. He was so upset that he couldn’t even find the words to express it.

He looked down at the ground for some moments, taking in a deep breath before speaking again. “Everyone in my fucking life has let me down. Every- _fucking_ -body. My father, my brother, the people I’ve worked with, the few serious relationships I had. And then…Then you came around, straight out from freaking Heaven. You’ve pulled me out of Hell, you’ve given up everything for me. You’ve fucking fought your own kind for my sake! And you’ve always believed in me, no matter what, even when I stopped believing in myself. And so I thought…” He stopped for a moment, taking a breath to prevent his voice from starting to shake. “I thought that finally I had met that one person that I could trust without doubt or hesitation. I considered you my best buddy, despite your fucked-up way of being. I even dared to call you _family_ …” He trailed off once again, biting down the inside of his cheek until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

“Dean…” Castiel whispered, finally lifting his eyes to meet Dean’s, his voice full of sorrow and guilt. “I…”

“Shut the fuck up! I’m not done, you featherhead.” The young man growled angrily, once again interrupting before the angel could even start his sentence. “And don’t you dare to look away. I want people to look at me while I’m talking to them.” He dug his fingers deeper in the other’s shoulder, hard enough to bruise. “I was wrong about you, I was wrong to trust you. Because you’ve let me down in the worst way possible. You played me and my family. You used us, lied to us, while you were plotting with a _demon_. You didn’t bring Sam back for me, you did it because you needed someone to get the Alphas for you, so that you could find your precious Purgatory!”

In a surge of anger, he released his grip and shoved the angel away, unable to bear touching him any longer, even if it wasn’t just disgust what he was feeling. “I didn’t want to believe it when Bobby and Sam told me that you were trying to trick us. I argued with them, I stood up for _you_ because I couldn’t accept the truth. And what was your way to show me gratitude? You destroyed my brother’s mind just because we tried to make you see that your fucking plan was a folly! Why didn’t you listen to me, just for once? No, you needed the fucking Messenger of God to come back from the dead and kick your ass!”

He shook his head, exasperated. He had gone against the two people who had always been there for him to protect the one who had turned out to be a liar. He was furious with himself because he had been so stupid to put all his trust in someone who wasn’t even human. He should have known better. But the truth was that he had behaved like that because he had needed Castiel to be that one person he could trust when he couldn’t even trust himself. He still needed him to be, even if it was now too late.

Castiel remained silent this time, forcing himself not to look away, even if every atom of his essence just wanted him to spread his wings and fly away. He couldn’t bear those words and especially he couldn’t bear the dark emotions that they carried with them. They burdened his chest and each one felt like an angelic blade stabbing him. The urge to disappear got stronger and stronger at each word, but he couldn’t give into it. Dean was right, he had to face the consequences of his actions. He would take all the pain and the hatred that the hunter would give him if it could help soothing the other’s suffering. The only thing he could offer now was himself as a target for the human’s destructive emotions. And no matter how much it would make him suffer. He would let each word sink deeply inside him and would watch his chances to be forgiven crumble without fighting for them. Because, perhaps, he didn’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness. Neither his Father’s nor, especially, Dean’s. That was the price for being guilty of hubris.

“Tell me. How can I be sure now that all your previous sacrifices didn’t have an ulterior aim? How can I know that all your words aren’t just lies and deceits? How can I trust you again?” The older Winchester went on, clenching his fists until his nails were drawing blood on his palms. He knew that all those words wouldn’t lead them nowhere, but he couldn’t stop. He needed to let them out or he would explode. “How can I trust _anyone_ just a little now that _you_ , the one who was supposed to be my guardian, the _only_ person that I fully trusted in my sorry life, have betrayed me so deeply?” He opened his arms widely, his desperation starting to sip through his voice. “Now I see shadows everywhere. I have to check everything myself before being sure that it’s actually true. I can’t trust anyone to watch my back on a hunt, not even Sam. Can you see what you have done to me, Castiel, angel of the Lord?”

The title was spat out in a cruel mocking tone that made the angel internally wince. The memory of their first true meeting came to his mind, clear and vivid. Back then he had introduced himself with those exact words. Dean had claimed that there were no such things as angels and had stabbed him with the knife he and Sam used to kill the demons. So much time had passed since that day, they had been through so much. When he had first laid his hand on Dean in Hell to save him, he could have never imagined that things would go that way between the two of them. He, who had always been a perfect, loyal soldier of Heaven, had found himself playing the part of the rebel to stand by a human’s side, had found himself falling because of that same human and not minding it as much as he should have. He had died twice for him and he was ready to do it again. Through Dean, and Sam too, he had learnt what Lucifer had never been able to see and what his brothers and sisters couldn’t really understand. Thanks to the hunters, he now knew why his Father had loved humankind so much, despite all its faults and flaws.

That thought left a bittersweet taste on his tongue. He had learnt to love mankind and for that reason he couldn’t let Raphael start the Apocalypse again and bring Heaven on Earth. It would be the destruction of the world as Dean and the others knew it. Their kind was already suffering too much, he couldn’t allow more destruction and sorrow to fall on its shoulders. They deserved a second chance to build their own paradise, without the angels having a say in it. After all he and his sibling had been given the task to protect humans, not to rule over them. And that had been the purpose behind his actions of the past month, or so he had believed. Now he saw that he had just obtained to force himself on his friends, showing himself to be not so different from the brother he was fighting. But his intentions had been good.

“Answer me, Castiel!” Dean almost yelled, interrupting the trail of his thoughts without warning. “I should have known, shouldn’t I? I’m aware that angels are all motherfuckers, but I wanted to believe that you were different. That you were a bastard, but a _nice_ one. I was wrong, wasn’t I? You’re exactly like the others!”

“I am not!” The angel exclaimed, raising his voice in turn, the words leaving his lips before he could stop himself. His tone was darker than usual and he was starting to feel his own anger blooming among the shame. That was too much. “I am guilty, Dean. I am not denying it. I have sinned, I have mistaken, I have betrayed. But I didn’t mean any harm. All I wanted was to prevent Raphael from starting the Apocalypse again. All I wanted was to protect you.”

His reaction made Dean’s rage flare up even more. The hunter grabbed him by his coat and pulled hard. “How? By playing _God_?” He snorted, shoving him away once again. “What would have happened if that damned Trickster hadn’t showed up? What would have _you_ done?”

The older Winchester turned his back to the angel and took some steps away from him. “You said you’d have fixed Sam. But can you blame me for not believing you? What if all that power had gone to your head?” He questioned again. His voice was lower, but still desperately angry. “What if you’d have become just another monster we’d have to destroy? I don’t care if your intentions were good. I don’t _fucking_ care. The only thing that’s clear to me is that you don’t value us… _me_ enough to come and tell me everything. You felt the need to act behind my back and didn’t trust my word on the matter at all.” He turned around again, but kept his eyes on the ground. He couldn’t look at his speaker anymore. “You lied to me and then tried to force me to do what you wanted. You _threatened_ me. You don’t do that to family, Cas.” He lifted his gaze to the sky, his tone losing any trace of emotion for a moment. “I myself have once told you that maybe you should be the one to play the sheriff up there. I said that because I trusted the person I thought you were. But apparently I have no idea of who you really are.”

That last sentence hit Castiel so hard that his whole Grace trembled for a moment. There was so much resignation in the other’s voice, so much hurt that he couldn’t take it. He took a step forward and reached out for the hunter. “Dean, I know I don’t deserve to ask your forgiveness, and I won’t. But, _please_ , you have to believe me when I say that everything I have done I did it also for you,” he pleaded, his voice faltering. “I repent of my errors and I am asking for your help to fix them. Do this for me and I will disappear from your life. You will never see me again.”

“Don’t touch me!” The hunter growled, slapping the angel hand away, almost disgusted. Then he let out a bitter laugh. “You really don’t understand, do you? I’ve already made a deal with that prick of your brother, so I’ll help you with the Leviathans. But I’m not doing it for you, I’m doing it because saving people is my _job_. It won’t fix things between us. Nothing will.” He kicked a rock out of his way. “Even if you disappeared, it wouldn’t be enough. God, even if you _died_ it wouldn’t change anything. What is done is done, Cas. You can’t erase it.”

“What do you want me to do then?” The angel asked opening his arms in surrender. “How can I sooth your sorrow? I would give my life for you, Dean, and you know it.”

The older Winchester shot him a nasty look. He would never understand how that guy could say those embarrassing things with so much ease. And using that card against him right now was really cheating. He looked away, feeling frustrated. He knew that Castiel was telling the truth. The angel’s devotion for him was still strong and there, even after all he had just said, and he couldn’t stay untouched by that. He ran a hand on his face. “There’s nothing you can do, Cas,” he answered in a quiet tone. “I…I just want my nerdy, awkward angel friend back. But you aren’t him. Not anymore.”

The other just stared at him blankly, but Dean could easily read the confusion in his posture. He wasn’t surprised to see that the creature hadn’t understood what he meant. He had always been quite clueless when it came to deep human meanings. Once he found it quite amusing, but now it was painfully exasperating. “Listen, Castiel…” He started with a sigh, but he was interrupted.

“No. You are right, Dean,” Castiel stated quietly, his blue eyes were now shining with a new determination. “I know what I need to do. I will be back once I will be ready.” And he disappeared in a flap of wings, leaving a very astonished hunter behind.

The older Winchester let out a groan. What the hell was that idiotic angel thinking now? They were about to face another conflict, he couldn’t just wander off like that. Where had he gone? And what had he meant with those last words? He cursed under his breath, looking around in the vain hope that the other hadn’t really left.

“Castiel! Come back! Whatever you’ve understood, it’s not what I meant!” He called out, even if he had the feeling that he wouldn’t get an answer. “What about the Leviathans? Damn you, Cas! You can’t just leave again! Come back!”

He slammed his fist in the nearest thing he found, letting out another heavy curse both for the pain and the frustration. Fucking angel. He never did what he expected him to do. He wandered around the yard for a while, restless, but in the end he had come to terms with the fact that Castiel wasn’t coming back any soon. The other was gone only God-knew-where and he couldn’t do anything about it. He had better find something else to do. Like checking on his brother. He realised in that moment that he had completely forgotten about Sam and mentally punched himself. How could he have let the fact that his younger sibling was stuck alone with a Trickster slip away from his mind? Castiel was really driving him crazy, more than he usually did.

He turned around and walked quickly towards the house, hoping that Sam hadn’t been in need of his help while he was busy arguing with his former best friend. Gabriel could have claimed that he was on their side, but he didn’t trusted the archangel’s word at all. He had gone through too much by his hand to be that stupid. He growled. If something had happened to his sibling he would have never been able to forgive himself.

When he crossed the threshold the house was completely silent, but it didn’t reassure him at all. Quite the contrary. In his job, silence usually meant troubles and corpses. Trying not to imagine the worse, he immediately headed downstairs and, without bothering to knock, he unlocked the door of the panic room, flinging it open, ready to shoot if it had turned out to be necessary.

However, the sight that met his eyes was the last thing he would have expected to see and it left him completely speechless. His brother was sprawled on the folding bed, eyes closed and crumpled sheets covering his most likely otherwise naked body, while Gabriel was sat at the end of the mattress, his back against the wall and a huge amused smirk adorning his face.

Dean gaped at them for some moments, his mind putting the pieces together, and then an horrified expression spread on his face. “What the actual _fuck_?!” He exclaimed incredulously once he had found his voice.

The archangel bit down his lip not to laugh and Sam cracked one eye opened to look at him, disturbed by noises that had interrupted the peaceful silence of the room. The younger Winchester blinked a couple of times and then _beamed_ in recognition, something Dean hadn’t seen him doing since when they were kids. “Hey, Dean!” He greeted dreamily, waving a hand at him.

The older hunter remained at loss of what to do for a moment and then turned towards Gabriel. Yelling at the archangel was surely easier than facing his stoned sibling at the moment. “You freaking son of bitch!” He roared, sounding astonished and furious at the same time. “You…You _fucked_ my little brother?!”

“I didn’t,” the former Trickster denied quickly, shaking his head in the attempt to deny the obvious, which was completely vain since in the same moment Sam claimed in a cheerful voice: “Oh _yeah_ , he did.”

“It’s better if you go back to sleep, Sammy, isn’t it?” Gabriel mumbled, glaring at the younger hunter who smiled meekly at him in response, not really aware of the tension that had filled the room. He reached out for the human’s forehead, but Dean’s voice stopped him before he could touch it.

The older Winchester’s stare had become if possible even more murderous. “What have you done to him, you prick?” He growled taking a step towards the shorter man. “And don’t you dare to put him to sleep with one of your angel tricks!”

“It’s just the side effect of the Grace I used to heal him. I repaired his soul, he doesn’t even need that stupid wall again now! He’ll have his hard time dealing with the bad memories, but he’ll get through it now that his soul is intact again,” the archangel explained calmly, opening his arms. He had no idea of what kind of picture Dean had in his head, but it was clearly the wrong one. “He’ll be himself again in a few hours. No need to get so pissed off, Winchester!”

“Oh, I’m not pissed! I’m fucking going to _kill_ you! You took advantage of Sam!” He shouted, pointing at his brother, who looked between them confused, clearly not understanding why they were fighting.

“I didn’t take advantage of him!” Gabriel protested loudly, incredulous. _That_ was offensive. He would never do such a thing. Both because he really didn’t need to and because it was everything but fun. “Who do you think I am? Trickster or not, I’m still an angel. I don’t go around raping people to pass the time.”

“He’s telling the truth, Dean. I agreed to this,” Sam stepped in, grinning widely. All that yelling was giving him headache, but the lightness inside his chest didn’t allow him to feel upset about everything. “And it was awesome! The _best_ sex I had in my life.”

Dean’s eyes widened in horror once again and he groaned, covering his eyes with a hand. “I didn’t need to know _that_ ,” he muttered exasperated. That was definitely not his day. Then he turned towards the archangel. “I changed my mind,” he claimed in a calmer tone, but he was visibly about to lose it. “Put him to sleep, my mental sanity doesn’t need other shocks.”

“With pleasure,” the former Trickster answered and he rested to fingers on the younger hunter’s forehead, making him fall asleep instantly.

The older Winchester paced around the room for a minute, trying to calm himself down. Hadn’t the fight with Castiel been enough bad news? Now he had a stoned brother who had, for some obscure reason, agreed to have some weird ritual sex with an archangel. He had claimed that they would have found a way to cure Sam, at any cost, but _that_ wasn’t surely what he had meant.

“I’ll need time to digest… _this,_ ” he spoke in the end, waving a hand in the general direction of the bed. “So let’s not talk about it again for now. Or I’ll go get the holy oil and trap you in a circle of fire for the rest of eternity.” He licked his lips, turning his head towards Gabriel and seeking his eyes. “Just…Did it work? Is he fine now?”

The archangel nodded, his golden orbs holding the hunter’s gaze. “Yes. He’s good. No more too realistic nightmares or comas or hallucinations or whatever,” he assured in a serious tone, getting up in turn. He was quite happy to let the subject go. He didn’t want the human to ruin his good mood more than he had already done. “He just needs to sleep. And some therapy, but who in this room doesn’t? He’ll be fine, Deano. I promise.”

“Good.” Dean nodded, the firmness of the creature’s tone chasing away any doubts. His instinct told him that Gabriel wasn’t lying. He glanced at his sleeping brother again. Seeing him so relaxed and peaceful made him smile in spite of everything. Sam had been looking troubled and tormented for too much time during the previous years, since Jessica’s death. He deserved a break from all the shit they had to face every day. “Let’s let him rest then.”

The former Trickster nodded and followed him out of the room, shutting the door behind them. “Speaking of younger brothers, where’s mine?” He questioned then, raising an eyebrow. He couldn’t feel Castiel’s presence anywhere in the property and he didn’t like it. “You weren’t wearing a happy face when you have joined us.”

Dean couldn’t meet his eyes and let his own drop on the floor instead. “Cas is… He is gone,” he answered in a low voice, but he knew that he would be heard anyway.

Gabriel stared at him, incredulous. “Gone? What do you mean by _gone_?” He exploded, grabbing the older Winchester’s arm and pulling it, to force the other to face him. “You let him wander off by himself with all those angels who want him dead? How much stupid can you be?!”

The hunter struggled to break free from his iron grip, but in vain. “Listen, it wasn’t my fault! We were talking and then…He said something weird and just disappeared,” he tried to explain then, feeling the nervousness growing inside his chest. He knew that Gabriel could smite him in every moment and tear him apart in pieces so small that no one, apart maybe for God, would be able to put him together again. “I don’t know where he is. And I didn’t tell him to leave, before you ask. I…I’m furious with him, but I don’t want him to die.”

“But you don’t care enough to prevent him from risking his life,” the archangel snorted harshly, rolling his eyes and letting go of the human, for the latter’s relief. He needed to stay calm even if in that moment he just wanted to send the man back to Hell. Both Sam and Castiel would kick his ass if he harmed the older hunter in any way. “What have you told him to make him react that way? Apart from your usual Winchester shit.”

“I…I just told him that he couldn’t do anything to fix what he had done and that I wished I could have the old Cas back,” the hunter answered, his voice suddenly becoming slightly unsure. “He said something about knowing what to do and that he’d come back and then disappeared. I’ve got no idea of what he was talking about.”

Gabriel growled in exasperation. “Oh, just great. Well done, Winchester,” he commented sarcastically, glaring at the other, his eyes shining with power. “I swear that, if something happens to Castiel, I’ll consider you personally responsible for it. And you’ll have to deal with _me_.” And he was gone without waiting for an answer.

Dean stared at the spot where the former Trickster had been, a dreadful feeling spreading in his guts. He sighed, mentally cursing the day in which he had discovered that Heaven existed and that the angels were all assholes. He lingered on the stairs for some more moments, but then he climbed them heading for in the living room. Once there grabbed a random bottle of whiskey and opened it, without bothering to get a glass. If Sam could spend his day of rest enjoying happy angel-induced sleep, he could freely waste himself with alcohol. He needed to forget about everything for a while, especially about a pair of broken sky-blue eyes.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlene pulled out the keys of her small apartment from her bag and unlocked the door with a sigh. Once inside she removed her wet jacket and hanged it in the corridor, throwing her Star Wars umbrella on the floor. She didn’t mind the rain, but she totally hated it when it started to fall without warning, threatening to soak not only her but her laptop as well. She carefully extracted the latter from its case and put it on the table. It seemed fine and _dry_. Luckily for her the tragedy had been avoided once again.

She nodded satisfied and headed for the bathroom, getting rid of her wet clothes in the process. The water became hot in a short time and she spent a good half an hour enjoying a nice shower. The heat washed away the cold and the tension from her limbs, leaving her relaxed and much happier. She enjoyed working for the Richard Roman Enterprises, but at times she couldn’t help thinking that her bosses were constantly breathing down her neck and it made her nervous. Despite her laid-back attitude, she was a private person and she didn’t like when someone intruded into her life without her consent. Especially considering her past and her not-so-legal extra-curricular activities.

With a content sigh, Charlie got out of the shower and wrapped a big fluffy yellow towel around herself. She smiled at her mirrored image, winking at it as she rubbed her hair with another one. She had already finished her work for the day, which meant that she could spend the whole evening taking care of her hobbies and finally watching the newest episode of Games of Thrones. The file had been waiting for her on her personal hard disk for almost three days by now.

She left the bathroom tying her hair up in a messy, still half-wet chignon and stopped in the kitchen to make herself some hot chocolate. The floor was cool under her feat, but she didn’t mind. The air in her apartment was always warm enough for her not to feel cold.

Once the drink was ready, she moved back in the small living room with the steaming cup in her hand, eager to switch her TV on. She didn’t really remember the last time she had had a free evening all for herself. In the last period, if she hadn’t had to work, she had gone out for some kind of event. Quiet nights at home had suddenly become just a memory and she had to say that she had missed them. But now, finally, she would get to relax properly. Or so she had thought. What she hadn’t expected was to find out that her living room was no longer empty when she walked back inside.

A man in his late forties was standing in front of one of her posters, studying the drawing attentively. He was wearing a fine black suit that fitted his somehow regal posture and a pair of shoes that surely cost twice the girl’s cheap furniture. Charlie let out a surprised gasp and gripped at the edge of her towel with one of her hand, not wanting it to slide down and discover her body. The last thing she needed right now was to find herself suddenly naked.

The stranger turned around and offered her a smile that looked more like a dark malicious grin. “What interesting pieces of…art you have here, Miss Middleton,” he commented gesturing towards the posters. “But they are not exactly my cup of tea.”

The young woman stared at him for some more seconds, then she let out a deafening scream and threw the still steaming cup at him. Who the hell was that man? And how did he know her real surname? A person shouldn’t just break into someone’s apartment, subtly insult the decorations and look like a freaking mafia assassin. She felt a surge of panic at that consideration. Had she pissed off the mafia? Maybe she had hacked some account or spread by mistake some reserved information. She really couldn’t recall.

The sounds of the cup crushing against the wall in front of which the man had been standing until a second before brought her back to reality. Charlene looked around, eyes wide in surprise. The stranger had disappeared before her eyes. And she had just destroyed her favourite Lord of the Rings mug.

A polite fit of coughing made her spin around and she found herself once again facing the mystery man. He was still wearing his sinister smile and she could have sworn that his eyes were glowing with a soft red light.

“Is this how you usually welcome guests, Miss?” He asked, mockingly, but for her relief he didn’t sound too annoyed about the attack. “I guess that part of it it’s my fault, since I have showed up uninvited and without introducing myself. My name is Crowley and I run Hell. _That_ Hell, before you ask.”

Charlie blinked at him, confused. For a moment she thought that she had had misunderstood, but the expression that the man, Crowley, was wearing chased away that doubt. “Wait a moment. Is this some kind of reality show? A trick?” She questioned then suspiciously. “And, besides, I’ve always thought that the Devil’s name was Lucifer.”

“Well, Lucifer is back in his Cage, so I took the leadership in his place. You know, if you’re smart enough you can have a successful carrier in Hell too. All you need are the right qualities and the right contacts,” Crowley explained nonchalantly, waving a hand as if he was explaining something obvious. “And no, my dear Charlene, this is not a show, it’s reality. I’m here because you’ll soon be able to offer me some valuable help. May I sit down? And you don’t mind if I have a drink, do you? I guess you don’t have any fine liquor here.”

She shook her head, gesturing him to make himself at home since she didn’t know what else to do, and took some steps back to let Crowley go past her. His eyes never left her as he took a sit on the small green sofa and made himself comfortable. He waved his hand again and this time a bottle of Craig scotch appeared on the plastic coffee table together with two already filled glasses. He took one and pushed the other towards Charlie, who however made no move to take it.

“If you really are the _new_ Devil, I guess there’s no point in asking you how you know my real name,” she said carefully, approaching the couch a bit. What she had just heard should clearly be impossible, since Hell should be just a fable, but she had just seen the man teleporting himself from one side of the room to the other. She didn’t know what demons could do, assuming that the creature in front of her was a real demon, but she was sure that no human could make something appear from nowhere. Devil or psychopath with paranormal powers, she knew only one thing: the person in front of her was surely dangerous and so the best thing she could do was trying not to piss her unexpected guest off. Which meant playing his game.

She cleared her throat a bit, clenching at her towel lightly. “I…I don’t understand,” she spoke in the end, in a hesitant tone. “What could an IT employee do for the…ruler of Hell?”

“Well, I’d really like to create some kind of informatics database to help me classifying the souls and the demons that are under my watch, but this isn’t why I came here,” Crowley replied as he sipped his drink, in a conversational tone that prevented the young woman from understanding if he was kidding or not. “I’m interested in your boss, Mr Roman.”

“I…I’ve never met him in person,” she quickly informed him. She had had the suspicion that the great boss wasn’t completely clean, but he had to have done something really big to catch the interest of the King of Hell. Assuming that the man in front of her was the real new Lucifer. She smiled awkwardly, her lips stretching hysterically. “I’m just an employee, and he is the owner of the company. I just get his emails, from time to time. The kind of emails that they send to all the employees, you know.”

“I know. But he’ll contact you soon once he’ll have noticed your unique _brilliance_. Well, it won’t be exactly him the one to contact you but those are details,” the demon said cryptically, putting on a frown. “Anyway. I want you to inform me when it happens. And to let me in on their plans. Obviously, I don’t expect you to work for me for free. We can negotiate your reward. I’m pretty powerful, so you can ask almost whatever you want. And, of course, you’ll have my protection against any possible threat while working on the job.”

Charlene raised her hands to stop him, now completely confused. “Wait a second…Mr Crowley. _Their_ plans? And what did you mean when you said that it won’t be _exactly_ Roman to contact me? What’s going on?”

“Oh, you’re as smart as I thought. Good. I don’t like dealing with dumb people. It’s _frustrating,_ ” Crowley commented, sounding oddly satisfied. He joined his fingertips in front of him. “You see, my dear, yesterday a friend of mine…Well, he’s not exactly a friend, more of an enemy actually. But this mustn’t interest you. Anyway, he opened the Door of Purgatory and freed some creatures called Leviathans. They are pretty powerful and I wish to have…how to say…the right _means_ to offer them my partnership. As the King of Hell, I need to preserve myself and my influence here on Earth. And with the Leviathans around it would be difficult, unless I team up with them. Can you understand? It’s pure business we’re talking about.”

The young woman stared at him for a long time, digesting the information she had just received, while the demon kept politely quiet, busying himself with his glass of scotch. In the end she took a deep breath and finally reached for her own drink taking a big gulp, which caused her to cough for a while.

“So, let me see if I got it right,” she managed to say, her voice still a bit hoarse for the liquor. “This Leviathan, which has taken Richard Roman’s place, will call me to force me to work for them. And you want me to double-cross them so that I can inform you of what they want to do. With that information you’ll be able to come up with something that will allow you to do business with them. Like a spy in a rival company. But with monsters.” She blinked at the nod of approval she received. “Are you sure that this is real life? Because I’m starting to think that I passed out in the shower and that I’m living a very weird dream.”

“I’m pretty much sure that this is not a dream, my dear Charlene,” Crowley answered, amused by her reaction. “Look at the bright sight. It means that you won’t wake up with a concussion.”

He smirked again. The girl had reacted pretty well, if he pretended to forget about the cup that had been thrown at him. She was quick and smart, so she would surely be up to the job. However, he had to be careful with her. Sure, she wouldn’t be happy to find out that the Leviathans had in store nothing good for the humans and that could make him lose his precious spy. But after all he himself knew very little about what the Purgatory creatures were up to. The only thing he could do was wait and see, and of course be prepared for anything. Patience had never been his better trait, but for once he would have to constrain his impatience and let the events do their course.

He sipped his drink. He was sure that Castiel and his companions would make their move soon, so he needed to be prepared. Then there was the question of what Raphael would do about the Leviathans issue. Knowing the archangel, she wouldn’t just sit and watch as they took possession of the planet, preventing her from starting her precious Apocalypse. There were many matters of uncertainty, and that was why he needed to choose his moves in advance. And Charlene Bradbury alias Celeste Middleton was one of them.

“So…?” The young woman offered tentatively after some minutes of silence, looking at him expectantly. She kept her voice low, not wanting to intrude too much, since her speaker looked very deep in his thoughts.

“So you need to tell me if you are in or out. Obviously once you say “yes” there’s no going back from our deal,” he answered matter-of-factly. “Do you need more persuasion? I can be pretty convincing. Shall we discuss your reward perhaps?”

Charlene shook her head. “Stop for a moment, Mr Devil,” she said crossing her arms on her chest. She was starting to feel cold, but there was no way that she would trust the King of Hell alone with her belongings. Besides, a part of her initial fear and disbelief had faded as soon as she had adapted to the strange presence that had invaded her living room and she was feeling more daring now. “I won’t agree to any deal until I have a better view of what is going on. I want to know what I’m getting myself into before playing the spy of the new Lucifer. We can discuss a trial period before signing a real deal. ‘Cause there’s no way I’m trusting the Devil, even if he is dressed so nicely and is so well-mannered. What do you say, Mr Crowley?”

The demon pretended to be considering her words for a moment. That was what he had feared. That human wasn’t so easily manipulated as her kind usually was. Not too bad, a good challenge was always nice from time to time. Besides, he could come up with other uses for her. Who knew, maybe she would turn out to be a useful weapon against the Winchesters too. He smirked to himself. He could afford to give her some more liberties.

“Alright, Charlene. You’ll have your trial period if this is what you need. However, I’d like you to do something for me in return. Just to make sure that you are up to the job,” he agreed in the end, joining the tips of his fingers again. “And please, you don’t need to use that “Mr”. We’ll be besties soon after all, don’t you agree?”

“Fine…Crowley,” she nodded, feeling a bit awkward while pronouncing the name in such an informal manner. But who could blame her? The Devil had just asked her to call him as if he was one of her buddies. “What kind of job is it?”

The demon’s grin widened. “Nothing difficult or dangerous. I just want you to meet some people and make friends with them. I’ll give you the right cover,” he answered briefly. “You have the weekend free this week, haven’t you?”

Charlie bit back the urge to ask how he knew her timetables. “Yeah. Well, truth to be told I already have another engagement…”

Crowley raised an eyebrow at her before she could finish the sentence and she immediately made up: “But I can always cancel! I mean, it is just a stupid convention!” One she had been waiting for since her twentieth birthday, but she didn’t say that.

“Good. I’m sure we’ll get along, Charlene,” the King of Hell claimed satisfied as he got up. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to your free evening, my dear. See you in two days.” He shot a look at her half-naked body. “And try not to catch a cold. It would be annoying.” And with that he was gone, together with the scotch.

The young woman let herself collapse on the sofa, letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding. That was pure madness. She had just been hired by the Devil. And she was starting in two days. In that moment the newest episode of Game of Thrones didn’t seem so important. She grabbed her laptop and switched it on. She had better do some research since she had the chance. She had no idea of what would happen next, but she had better prepare herself anyway.


	4. IV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, guys!
> 
> Here am I! On time this week...But I can't promise that it will always be like this! Sorry...Anyway, I wanted to give you all a V-day present, even if i really don't do Valentine's day. Just...I hope that whoever of you care about it have/had a nice day!
> 
> Back to the story. This chapter is mostly an aftermath of the previous, both for the Winchesters, who still have to keep on hunting while waiting to find a way to fix the current mess, and for Charlie, who has got her "trial period". And Cas? Well, you won't see him in this chapter...Maybe in the next one! He has his own plot line from now on.
> 
> One more thing. I've realised that I've never explained the meaning of the title. It's quite "simple" to tell the truth...As I said in the introduction to the first chapter, the plot revolves mostly around the relationships among the characters with particular attention on the themes of trust and faith. The blue irises symbolically represent these two themes. So the title is basically a metaphor.
> 
> Alright, I'll leave you to the story! Thanks a lot to all the readers! I really appreciate your interest!  
> Please, if you can and feel like, leave me a comment! It will help me understand if I'm doing good or not!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 5th 2015_

Sam came slowly back to reality, feeling reluctant to abandon the warm and pleasant sensation that had accompanied his sleep, but he couldn’t prevent his mind from becoming active once again. He lazily turned on his back and yawned a bit. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so well rested and, for the first time in years, he found that he had awaken not because he needed to be up or to escape some nasty nightmare, but because he was perfectly sated with sleep. It was one of the most wonderful feelings he had ever experienced.

He stirred his still numb limbs and used his arms to put himself in a sitting position, running a hand on his eyes. He still felt completely boneless, but he didn’t mind. The feeling was pleasant ad his whole body was still tingling lightly. His thoughts were still a bit blurred and it took him a couple of more yawns and some minutes of slow blink to recall exactly what had happened. The ritual, he and Gabriel getting intimate, the few words he had exchanged with Dean. He felt his cheeks flushing a little at the memory of his shameless statements. God, he wouldn’t have said such a thing not even while being completely wasted. Apparently being drunk with angelic Grace fucked your mind much more than having too many drinks. And, God, he had actually got fucked by an archangel. He groaned, running a hand on his face. Another supernatural creature to add to his hook-ups list. The only good side of that whole affair was that not only his soul was healed but was feeling great too. And no one had died, which was a first.

“Hey, welcome back to the real world, Sleeping Beauty!” A familiar voice sang from the other side of the room, interrupting his thoughts. “You’ve slept for a day and a half. How do you feel?”

Sam started a bit and immediately looked up, seeing Gabriel standing on the threshold, a trail loaded with what seemed to be his favourite foods in his hands. “I’ve never felt better than this,” he admitted quietly, eyeing the dishes. Food sounded like a great idea. He was quite famished. “Have I really slept for so long? Wow. I didn’t even realise it.” Apparently it was a day for firsts.

The archangel shrugged as he walked over towards the bed. “I didn’t expect you to. Your body needed a while to metabolise the effects of my Grace. And you needed to rest.” He rested the trail in the younger hunter’s lap and sat down next to him. “It’s a good sign. It means that the ritual has actually worked. Not that I had doubts.”

“Yeah…That’s, uh, good.” The younger Winchester mumbled, looking away. His body was starting to feel slightly hotter. Having the shorter man so close to him brought back pleasurable memories that were still a bit too intense for his liking. He focused his attention on the food. “You cooked this?” He asked then to distracted himself, the “just for me” going untold.

“Shall I remind you that all I need to get whatever I want do is snapping my fingers? Trickster here, remember?” The other answered in a non-caring tone, but he avoided the human’s eyes in turn for a moment. “I just thought that you’d be hungry. I’m an expert of human needs centuries spent living with your kind.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Sam nodded, trying to smile but not totally achieving it. It still felt so awkward being around the archangel after what they had done. He had had some one-night stands in the past, but they had never really been is thing. Dean was the one who usually fooled around. And, besides, what he and the creature had shared hadn’t just been a quick contact of skin. It had been the most intense experience of his life, right next to his time in the Cage. Gabriel had made him see the stars, literally speaking, while ravishing his body and _soul_. And he had heard his _true_ voice. He cleared his throat and busied himself with his chicken salad, keeping his eyes on the food. “Thanks, Gabriel. For, uh, everything.”

“Don’t mention it, kiddo. We’re even,” the former Trickster stated offering him a seductive smirk. He poked the hunter’s side. “I told you that I’d have been very grateful if you had let me have my way with you. And I am. I can show you in plenty of other ways, you just need to ask.”

“Shut up. Idiot,” the younger Winchester muttered, rolling his eyes, but his embarrassment was evident. He wasn’t surprise to hear the creature already making jokes and dirty offers. He knew him well enough already. The former Trickster never wasted an occasion to make people uncomfortable and to entertain himself with them. “I guess you won’t give me the time I need to digest what we have done, will you?”

“Oh, and spoil my fun? No way, Sammy boy!” Gabriel claimed and crossed his arms, clearly amused. “I _love_ it when you squirm to fight the awkwardness. Your brother’s right, you’re such a girl sometimes!” His eyes shone with mischief. “A metaphorical girl, of course. Because I’ve seen you naked and I dare anyone to take you for a woman.”

The hunter shot him a murderous glare. “I don’t _squirm_. And I don’t act like a girl,” he claimed with force, ignoring the other’s last comment. “And you jerk should really shut up. Or do I have to remind you how caring and gentle you have been with me?” He grinned satisfied sensing his speaker tensing at that. Payback was really satisfying. “I wasn’t high enough not to notice, not at the beginning at least. Don’t deny it, it’s useless.” His tone softened, losing the hint of mocking it had carried. “You _do_ care, in spite of everything. About me, about Castiel, and maybe even about my brother as well.”

Gabriel scoffed, not pleased at all with where the conversation was heading. But Sam was right, he couldn’t exactly denying the obvious without looking like an idiot. “Yeah, fine. It’s true. I _might_ care a bit about you wimps. You’ve the bad habit of putting yourselves in serious troubles every single day. Someone needs to look after you,” he admitted reluctantly, almost sulking. “Cas is family and he’s the reason I’m back and you…Well, I told you already. I like you, gigantor boy. You’re entertaining. And, since you care so much for your idiotic brother, I feel responsible for him too.”

Sam gaped at the archangel for a while, fork half way to his mouth, too caught off guard to find an answer. He had expected a sarcastic answer, which he had got, but he hadn’t anticipated such openness. He felt a new hint of warm spreading in his chest, but he dismissed it as a leftover of Gabriel’s Grace reacting to its owner’s closeness. There was no way that he was going to consider the fact that, maybe, the odd feeling that lingered between them was some kind of unresolved emotional and sexual tension. What they had done had been amazing, he wouldn’t even try to deny it, but it was done and dusted, no matter how many sexual jokes the former Trickster would made. The sex had just been a tool to accomplish the ritual, nothing else.

“Speaking of my brother, where is he?” He asked was soon as he found his voice again, deciding to change the subject to chase away those disturbing thoughts. “I remember him being quite…not cool with what we did.”

“And I guess you also remembered your comment about how awesome is having sex with me,” the archangel teased again with a small chuckle, making Sam smile a bit in turn. “That was really flattering for my ego, by the way, Sammy.” He smirked widely and winked at the other. “Back to Deano, he said that he needed time to elaborate and that he was just letting it be. For now.” He poked the hunter’s side again, but then he turned serious. “He isn’t sick or anything. There’s a reason behind his being so accepting. Things between him and Castiel hadn’t gone well. My brother left.”

The younger Winchester’s smiled faded as he heard the last news and he groaned. “Cas _left_? What has Dean done to make him go away? That jerk…” He sighed, shaking his head. His older brother always messed up when it came to deal with feelings and personal crises in general. When he could, Dean just ignored them, pretending that there was no problem at all, but at times, like the present one, he was forced by the circumstances to face them and that was when the worst usually happened. “I knew that leaving them alone was a bad idea!”

“Your brother refused to give me much information. I got that the two had a fight and that Cas left because he wants to find a way to make Dean trust him again,” the archangel explained calmly, but there was a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Obviously, I went immediately after the idiot. It’s taken me some time to find him. Cassie’s getting better at his tricks, even if his Grace is fading. He’s my baby brother after all.” He allowed himself a small, satisfied grin at that. Then he resume his speaking. “We talked for a while. He hasn’t told me what he’s up to, but he promised that he’ll call if he gets in troubles. So I let him go.” His eyes became unfocused for a moment. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not happy knowing that he’s out there alone, with all those bastards after his pretty head. But he needs to do whatever he’s doing. And I want to trust him since he trusts me, even after everything I’ve done.”

Sam smiled sadly at those words and reached out for the shorter man’s shoulder. He could relate with what Gabriel was saying. He and Dean had a lot of trust issues between them, but they were trying hard to work and solve them. He hated the fact that his brother wouldn’t really trust him, after the mess he had made during the Apocalypse, and he was ready to do whatever was necessary to prove him that he deserved his trust again.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he offered, trying to sound reassuring. “Castiel knows how to take care of himself.” He hesitated for a moment, before voicing his next question. It felt a bit weird sharing such a heart-to-heart conversation with the former Trickster and he didn’t know how much he could dare, since they weren’t friends nor anything along that line. In the end, he decided that asking wouldn’t cause him any harm. The other could simply avoid answering him. “Were you two close? Before you left Heaven, I mean.”

Gabriel looked at him, clearly surprised by the question. He considered avoiding to answer, offering some kind of sarcastic comment, but in the end he decided against that. He liked talking to Sam, it made him feel somehow understood and not judged, which didn’t happen often. “Angels don’t share the same type of bonds you humans are used to,” he explained after a moment. “We’re all connected to each other by default, or at least we were when Dad was still with us. We used to share everything and just knowing that brought us joy. It was all light, love and similar stuff. A real bore.”

He let out a laugh, but it sounded empty. It might have been a bore, but the truth was that he missed that contact. He had never been closed to anyone after he had left Heaven. He hadn’t allowed himself to. It wasn’t worth the risk of losing it all once again.

“Cassie has always been the weird one,” he resumed, pushing those thoughts away. “He has always felt too much for his own good, and I liked him for that reason. He was so _young_ at the time. He was always around questioning us archangels about Father and His creations. And when you explained him something he didn’t know, he gave you this look full of wonder that made you blush. Really.” He rolled his eyes, but there was a fond amusement in the gesture. “Even _Lucifer_ wasn’t immune to his bright stare. And _that_ was so much fun. He and I spent hours watching Dad’s creations. Everything was so…peaceful.” He shook his head. “But the thing that we all envied him was his faith. No one was capable of such a deep trust, and that’s why it was rumoured that he was one of Father’s favourites, in spite of him being just a foot soldier. Even after Luci’s Fall and Dad’s disappearance, he’s never stopped believing. And when he has been forced to give up his faith in Heaven and God, he found something else to believe in.”

“Dean,” the younger hunter completed for him, nodding. He couldn’t help finding the story touching. Lucifer’s Fall, God’s disappearance, the Apocalypse had always been something he had had to deal with, a big problem, but nothing that he could really relate too. Now, listening to Gabriel’s version of the tale, he saw what they were: the tragedy of a family that had fallen apart completely. He had never thought about what all that could have meant for the angels. He even understood why Raphael was so eager to bring Heaven on Earth. She was just tired of seeing her people fighting. It was her way to express her wish to have her family back.

“Exactly. Your brother has become Castiel’s new point of reference. Why he does beats me,” the archangel went on with a scoff, unaware of the other’s reflections. “But it doesn’t matter. Castiel _needs_ to believe in something, all angels do. He’s been falling for a while, but until he’s had his faith, he could find a way to survive.” He moved his eyes away from Sam. “But the last events haven’t been nice on him. Seeing his family at war once again, feeling rejected from his home…It’s more than he can take. That’s why he’s been so desperate to find a way to stop the conflict. He feels responsible. But then Dean’s rejected him as well, not trusting him, and he has lost everything he had left. I’m more worried about him not finding his faith again than about Raphael finding him when he’s in such a poor state.”

The younger Winchester narrowed his eyes at the last statement. He had the feeling that he was missing something very important and he didn’t like the dark look that had filled Gabriel’s golden orbs. “Why?” He questioned carefully. “I mean, Raphael wants him dead. Grace or not.”

The archangel smiled at him, but there was a deep bitterness in it. “Do you know what happens to angels when they lose all their Grace, Sam?”

“They become humans?” The younger hunter offered, but he had the feeling that it wasn’t the right answer. Castiel had told that to them himself during the Apocalypse. Once again he felt that he was missing the real point of Gabriel’s speech.

“That’s true if it is removed or if we voluntarily leave the Host. Because, even if we lose our power, we still keep our essence, which is based on faith,” the former Trickster corrected him in a gloomy tone. He looked away again, his eyes falling on the floor. When he spoke again, his tone was completely flat. “If angels stop believing…They die.”

Sam stared at him in horror, finally catching the deeper sense behind everything that his speaker had been saying. He felt his chest getting tighter. The blue-eyed angel might have lied and betrayed them, but he was still their friend. “Are…Are you saying that Cas is…?” He started to ask, but he was interrupted.

“You should go and check on your brother. While I was out and you were sleeping, he decided to drink himself unconscious. When I came back he was _totally_ wasted,” Gabriel exclaimed, sounding suddenly cheerful. A new grin had opened on his face, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I tried to make him stop, but he shot me. More than once. Can you believe the ungrateful jerk?” He scoffed. “So I just put him to sleep. Bobby wasn’t happy when he found out about the whole mess. Anyway, Dean woke up about two hours ago and locked himself in the bathroom. By now he should be done with the vomiting.”

“Gabriel…” The hunter tried again. He knew what the archangel was trying to do, but he wasn’t cool with him shutting him out right when they had got to the most delicate part of their discussion. He wouldn’t allow the other to carry the burden of his worries alone. After all Castiel was family for the Winchesters too.

“Get dressed and go and check on your brother, Sam,” the Trickster repeated more forcefully, his tone becoming imperative. He knew that the human’s bleeding heart pushed him to come and offer comfort, but he didn’t need his compassion. He always dealt with his problems alone and this time was no exception.

Sam wanted to protest, but the creature’s tone left him no space to. So he could do nothing but nodding, even if reluctantly. With a sigh, he reached out for the clothes that were being handed to him and got dressed quickly.

Before heading for the door, however, he stopped and laid a hand on the archangel’s shoulder again, letting it linger for some moments. “We won’t let anything bad happen to him,” he stated, in a firm tone. “He may have betrayed us, but he’s still one of us. And us Winchesters don’t give up family. Ever.”

Gabriel scoffed and then shrugged nonchalantly, but he brushed his fingers on the back of Sam’s hand in a silent thank you. “Don’t get me wrong, kiddo. I’m not even considering that option,” he spoke then, looking more than confident. “Cas will be absolutely fine because he has _me_ to watch over him now.”

Sam laughed, shaking his head. It was reassuring to see that the archangel had come back to his usual cocky self. “Yeah, the fabulous angelic Trickster,” he teased lightly with a grin. “My bad for doubting your greatness.”

The former Trickster rolled his eyes. “Go to Deano, Samsquatch,” he ordered, but this time his smirk looked less fake.

The hunter sighed again and turned around to walk out of the room. However, he had barely taken a step across the threshold when he felt a flap of wings coming from behind his back. Instinctively, he looked back, but his eyes met only an empty room.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Dean let out another pained groan, tightening his grip on the ceramic of the toilet bowl. His head hurt like hell and so did his neck, probably because of the weird position in which Gabriel had left him after he had put him to sleep. Damned archangel. He was so going to punch him as soon as he felt better. Ten hits for _fucking_ his baby brother, because there was no way that he would buy the ritual shit, and five for the pain that was tormenting his body. He had even had to ask Bobby to help him to the bathroom because he couldn’t walk by himself. The older man had shot him a reproachful glare, but he had patted his back sympathetically before leaving him alone so that he could relieve the burden in his guts. For many terrible long minutes he had thought that he would die there, twisting in pain on a cold floor, cursing some bottle of alcoholic God-knew-what and a fucking Trickster. But then something had finally started to move inside his stomach and he had spent the following hour and half spewing his guts out.

At the moment the headache was still unbearably terrible, but he was feeling a bit better, even if still nauseous. He decided that he could use an aspirin as soon as he managed to get up and go downstairs. Sure, a shot of Grace would have been more effective, but there was no way he was letting Gabriel anywhere near him. Especially after what he and Sam had done in the panic room. Not even the hangover had been able to wash the images that had come to his mind after hearing his brother’s comment about how good the sex with the archangel was.

He scoffed in distaste but found himself smiling a bit in spite of everything. There was a very positive aspect in being so wasted. The physical sufferance was preventing his mind from lingering too much on the whole Castiel’s issue and he was very happy about it.

A soft knock broke the train of his thoughts and he looked up to see Sam carefully opening the door. His sibling looked at him for some moments with a strange expression on his face, as if he didn’t know if he should laugh or fuss over him. Dean was conscious that he had to look horrible, especially compared to how fresh and rested the other was.

“Man, you look worse than I had imagined,” the younger Winchester commented in the end, raising an eyebrow. “Do you need help?”

“You look awfully good, instead, Sammy. Fresh as a daisy! Is having sex with an angel so miraculous? Maybe I should try too some time. Anna doesn’t count, she was human back then,” he talked back sarcastically, but held out a hand towards the other hunter. He was fed up with his current position and he really needed to stretch his legs. They were starting to get numb. “Get me off this damned floor, will ya?”

“I don’t think that Gabriel would accept to give you a go, but you can always ask,” Sam stated with a smirk, grabbing his brother’s arm and helping him on his feet. “You see, he doesn’t like you as much as he likes me.”

“And I thank all the existing gods for that!” The older Winchester exclaimed, glaring at him. “Don’t tell me that you two are already mutually exclusive.” He added then, in a mocking tone. “Aren’t you going a bit too fast? Have you planned the ceremony yet?”

The younger hunter rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Dean,” he commented, not amused at all. “But I’m sorry to inform you that I’m _not_ dating the Trickster.” He gave his sibling a light push, being careful not to affect too much the other’s already precarious balance. He was glad to see that in spite of everything his brother had taken the whole ritual sex thing better than he had expected. Even if he would have been much happier if the older hunter just stopped those sarcastic allusions.

Dean smirked, clearly no where close to be done. “Oh, sorry. So, are you fuck buddies?” He pressed again, just to annoy the other. It wasn’t really fair that Sam was looking so good while he felt like shit. It was just fair if he got to tease him. “Because I can’t believe that you don’t want to repeat the experience. It’s been the _best_ sex of your life, after all. Your own words, little brother.”

The younger Winchester’s face heated up a bit at those words. “Oh shut up, Dean! I wasn’t myself when I said that!”

The older scoffed. “So you deny it now?”

Sam made a face, but looked away instead of answering, hooking his arm around his brother’s back to keep him from stumbling. He would have lied if he had said that he hadn’t meant those words. The experience had indeed been the best he had ever had. However, it didn’t mean that he was going to have sex with Gabriel again anytime soon. At least, that was what he had been telling himself since he had woken up. He didn’t know how he would have reacted if the archangel had decided to try and seduce him.

“I knew it,” Dean muttered with a sigh. He didn’t like the fact that the Trickster had got so close to his brother, but on the other hand he preferred to have Sam banging one of their allies, instead of having him going around and getting into unhealthy relationships with some hot demon chick. He still hadn’t got over the Ruby affair and he had no intention of seeing it happen again. He didn’t trust Gabriel, but at least he knew that the archangel wouldn’t trick his brother into freeing the Devil from his Cage. “Well, you’re an adult. Go and do whatever you want with your new heavenly boyfriend. But don’t ask for my blessing. And, I swear, if he doesn’t treat you right I’ll personally kill him again and piss on his fucking grave.”

Sam looked a little shocked by his words and gaped at him for some moments. His older brother had to be still a lot drunk to be saying those things. Or maybe it was his way to deal with the guilt he felt for how things had gone with Castiel. He was being permissive with him not to remember how hard he had been on the angel. It made sense, it was a Dean thing. “I’m not going to marry him or anything. Actually, I’m not even sure that it meant something more than him healing me,” he said quietly in the end. He would have wanted those words to come out as a reassurance for his sibling, but his voice sounded almost bitter near the end of the sentence. He shook his head, mentally slapping himself for it and adding: “But thanks for trusting me.”

“It’s not a matter of trust, Sammy. The fact is that I can watch you two since you’re around,” Dean corrected him in a strict tone. “I still don’t approve. But better a freaking _male_ archangel turned Trickster turned archangel again than a demon chick. That’s my policy.”

The younger hunter rolled his eyes at that. He couldn’t believe that his brother was still so stubbornly pissed about what had happened with Ruby. He knew that he had all the rights to be, since back then he had chosen her over him, but he had hoped that the other would have had the decency not to bring it up after so much time. “You’ll never let that go, won’t you?”

“I don’t think so,” the older Winchester answered, but then a malicious grin opened on his face. “Or maybe I will. If you start banging Gabriel for real. _That_ I will never let go.”

“Shut up, jerk.”

“You first, bitch.”

Sam let out an amused snort, but didn’t talk back. Instead he busied himself with helping his brother to walk down the stairs, which turned out to be more difficult that he had expected because Dean kept missing the steps causing them both to stumble. When they reached the ground floor, he was almost sure that the other had been doing it partially on purpose.

They found Bobby was waiting for them in the living room. The man was standing near the threshold with his arms crossed, holding a newspaper and wearing and expression that was half amused and half exasperated. Dean groaned, expecting a scolding for having drunk a good deal of their surrogate father’s stash of good liquor, while Sam simply remained quiet, hoping that his sibling hadn’t told the man about him and Gabriel.

“Oh, look at who has finally decided to show up!” The old hunter greeted them with a sarcastic tone. “Well, Dean, you look much better now, even if I bet ya’re still feeling like crap. You owe me a lot for all the alcohol you drank.” He gestured the empty bottles that he had set on his desk. “Oh, and by the way, tell yar Trickster friend that if he messes with my kitchen once again I’ll kill him, archangel or not.”

“If he does, call me and I’ll lend you a hand,” Dean claimed readily, detaching himself from his brother and reaching out for the couch. He needed to sit down already and his head was starting to spin again. “And, for the record, he is _Sam’s_ Trickster friend, not mine.”

“Dean!” Sam exclaimed exasperated, running a hand on his face to hide his embarrassment. “Will you drop it?”

“Idjits,” the old man mumbled under his breath. Then he raised his voice. “Don’t sit down, Dean. You boys are leaving. There’s a job for you,” he announced firmly, grabbing the older Winchester’s arm before he could let himself fall on the sofa. “Pack your things and bring your asses to the Black Hills. One of my contacts informed me that something’s going on in Mountain Pine, a small town near Hot Springs.”

“You’re sending us on a hunt?” The younger hunter asked incredulous. “What about the Leviathans? We should focus on finding a way to kill them. That’s our priority!”

“We know nothing about them right now. And I can manage the research part on my own. Besides, I have a friend that could help us,” Bobby pointed out, crossing his arms. “You kept hunting even during the bloody Apocalypse, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t now. Staying here doing nothing and waiting to find by chance a secret weapon or, worse, for some of those damned angels to show up won’t be useful to anyone. You’d better go and do your job.”

“He has a point, Sam,” Dean admitted, glaring at the couch resentfully. It looked too comfortable for his likings in that moment. “Staying here won’t do us any good. It’s better if we go and unload some tension. I really feel like killing some bastard monster right now.”

The younger Winchester lifted his hands in surrender. “Fine, we’re going. Let me get my things,” he gave up with a sigh. He still didn’t agree completely, but he had to admit that the other two were right. He felt fine at the moment, but he knew what days of inactivity could do to him. He didn’t need action as much as his brother, but he still wasn’t able to just sit and wait. “Can you manage yours, Dean?”

His brother rolled his eyes. “Yeah, mom.  I’m not _that_ wasted, you know. Not anymore,” he muttered walking past him.

 

Half an hour later, the two hunters were already on their way towards Black Hills. Sam had taken the driver seat, stating that Dean was in no shape to drive, which, despite being undeniable, hadn’t prevented the older Winchester from complaining loudly. Now the other was sitting next to him, the newspaper articles that Bobby had given them resting on his lap.

“So, what’s going on there?” The younger hunter asked, looking away from the road for a moment to glance at the papers.

“Fourteen mortal accidents. Too many to be just some random events. And it all started three weeks ago,” Dean answered, picking up some of the articles. “A man lost the control of his car and fell in a river. He wasn’t drunk and they found no technical faults in the vehicle. Two kids were crushed under the ruins of an abandoned house, which had been perfectly stable until five minutes earlier. A woman accidentally hung herself while climbing. A teenager got killed by a hair-drier fallen into the bathtub. And so on.”

“Nasty,” Sam commented, raising an eyebrow. Normally those would sounds like completely normal accident, but the fact that there had been so many in the same place and in such a small lapse of time was indeed suspicious. “Could it be a cursed object? Most of the ones that Dad collected are deadly weapons.”

“Could be. Or maybe it’s a ghost linked to an object, like that painting in New York,” Dean offered frowning slightly. “Or it could be a bored demon. We know too well how supernatural creatures can act when they are bored…”

“If you’re somehow referring to me, you can consider me offended, Dean Winchester.” A voice claimed out of the blue from behind their shoulders.

Both Winchesters started and turned around, caught off guard, just to find a sulking Gabriel sprawled on the backseat of the car, a half eaten candy cane in his mouth. Dean groaned loudly, not even trying to hide his unhappiness at the unexpected visit, while Sam rolled his eyes and went back to watch the road. Speaking of easily bored supernatural creatures, they should have expected the archangel to pop out sooner or later.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The older hunter asked, hostile. He was still resentful towards the former Trickster and, even if he had told Sam that he didn’t care what he and the creature did in their free time, he still didn’t want to have the archangel in his hair. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere taking care of your fucking angel businesses?”

“I’ve just sent four of my brothers back to Heaven. They were looking for Castiel, but they found _me_. Too bad for them,” Gabriel answer, licking the sugary cane slowly. The amused tone that he had used came out a bit forced. He didn’t like having to fight with his siblings, but he knew that he had no choice. “They’re chasing you too. I’m here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. And, besides, we’re fighting the Leviathans together, or have you already forgotten?”

“We haven’t. But we are on another kind of hunt now, so we don’t need your presence. We can manage some angels on our own,” Dean talked back, glaring at him. He didn’t want the archangel around while they were working. He would surely bring more problems than help and he would keep on distracting them, if not even pranking them, not to get bored. And that was the last thing they needed. “So leave.”

“Just because you’ve managed to trap Raphael once, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to do it again,” the shorter man pointed out rolling his eyes. Those boys were too much self-assured for his liking at times. “He’ll look for you because he knows that you are the quickest way to get to Castiel. You should know that. If my brother hears that you’re in danger he’ll run to you immediately, not caring about the consequences. So, if I want to keep Castiel safe, I must keep _you_ out of troubles.”

“He’s right, Dean. We can’t afford to face an archangel alone,” Sam interjected, looking at his brother. He was only trying to be logical, but the other would surely make some sarcastic comment about him accepting Gabriel in the team so quickly. However, he knew that keeping the archangel with them was the best choice and if the price to achieve it was bearing Dean’s teasing he would. “And he can be a nice back-up if we accidentally run into a Leviathan while on the job. Come on, Dean. Stop being childish.”

“Why am I not surprised to see you agreeing with him?” The expected mocking answer was. Then the older Winchester’s tone became more serious. “Fine, Trickster. You can stay. If someone keeps those angels away, it’s better for us all.” He didn’t mention the fact that he didn’t want to put Castiel in the position of having to choose between their safety and his life, because he already knew what the angel’s choice would have been. He bit is lower lip lightly and chased the thought away. It wasn’t the moment to dwell on that. “But if you interfere with our job, in any way, I’ll banish you, got it?”

“Alright, I’ll behave. Pinky swear!” Gabriel exclaimed in a sarcastic tone, raising his pinkie finger and gaining a nasty look in response. “Oh, come on, relax, Deano! We’re all still fine for now. No one has been badly wounded or sent to Hell yet.”

Dean scoffed. “Oh, that’s very reassuring, Trickster.”

The archangel opened his mouth to offer a sarcastic answer, but he seemed to change his mind and his smirk widened. “I know what can help your mood!” He claimed solemnly, snapping his fingers. “And I don’t want to hear again from you that I’m not a nice buddy.”

Dean blinked as a laptop that looked suspiciously like Sam’s appeared on his tights, a video playing on its screen. “What the fuck…!” He started to say, but he stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise. He raised the volume. “Oh, man! This is…Where did you get it?!”

“Trickster, remember?” Gabriel grinned maliciously, leaning forward and resting an arm on the back of the elder’s seat to be able to look at the screen in turn. “It’s that special edition of Casa Erotica that you have always wanted to see. But, of course, you can’t find it in your usual cheap motel rooms. This is high quality stuff.”

“Wait a second!” Sam interjected, shooting a horrifying look at between the computer and his two companions. He couldn’t believe it. “You are _not_ watching porn on _my_ laptop in this car while I’m here and _driving_!”

“Oh, we’re indeed, Sammy!” His brother said, getting more comfortable against the seat. “You want me to allow this freak to stay? Fine, but I’m enjoying the positive aspects of his presence. Besides, I didn’t get laid like you the other day. It’s been a while.”

“He has a point, Sam,” the archangel agreed in a sing-song tone, shooting an amused look to the younger hunter. “Besides, this is more fun than your usual conversations. Ghost here, demon there, yadda yadda…” He waved a hand. “But don’t worry, I won’t jerk off in front of you. First of all, because Deano would kill me and, secondly, because I don’t want you to forget about what you are supposed to do. A car crash would be quite irritating, don’t you agree”

Sam turned to glare at him, not knowing if he felt more angry or embarrassed. “ _Gabriel_!”

“What?” The shorter man asked innocently.

“Shut up, you two! The good part is about to start,” Dean ordered, gesturing them to be quiet without looking away from the screen.

Sam held back the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel and did his best to try and ignore the slow moans and little screams that soon filled the car. And the situation got even worse when his two companions started to make comments out aloud, not caring that he was there, forced to listen to them. He was used to Dean’s atrocities, but the last thing he had wanted was to hear his older sibling describing to an archangel his sexual kinks in every detail. Not that Gabriel’s ones were better, quite the contrary, but at least the creature wasn’t his brother. He let out a desperate sigh. It would be a long drive.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlene got off from the bus that had taken her to Hot Springs and looked around. Crowley had told her that she needed to find the petrol station near the main road and wait there until she saw a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala, which apparently was her targets’ car. Then she had to hitch a ride and learn what they were doing and where they were planning to go next. Nothing too difficult, her new employer had stated, but there was no way she was going to trust the Devil. And that was why she had had him handing her enough money to cover all her travel expenses in advance.

She sighed, trying to chase way the thought of the convention that was about to start and that she would miss. Instead she tried to recall the details she had been given about the guys she was about to meet. Dean and Sam Winchester, monster hunters or whatever they did for a living. Good-looking dudes, the shorter one a womanizer and the taller a nerd. She hoped that none of them tried to hit on her because that would have been quite annoying. Maybe she should immediately state clear and aloud that she wasn’t interested in whatever had a male form. Or, perhaps, she could casually mention her lovely, imaginary girlfriend. She nodded to herself, satisfied by the idea. That would have solved a lot of problems.

She crossed the street, walking quickly towards the end of the town. Crowley had said that they would be on a case and heading towards a small town near Hot Springs. Her cover said that she was a journalist and that she was there to investigate about the strange accidents that had been happening there. She didn’t know how the demon had made sure that the Winchesters would be on that road just in time to pick her up, but she had the feeling that it had something to do with her hacking that Taylor guy’s email account.

Outside the small city there wasn’t a pavement, so she was forced to walk in the grass next to the asphalt. She sank her hands in the pockets of her light brown coat and adjusted the weight of her rucksack on her shoulders. It was late afternoon and the air was starting to feel chilly. The sky was covered by huge grey clouds and she hoped that it didn’t start to rain. She had left her umbrella at home. The fact of having to stand waiting without a shelter hadn’t crossed her mind while she was packing up.

Luckily the petrol station came into view after a short time and Charlie felt relieved by the sight. She usually wasn’t so susceptible, but her current mission was making her nervous. She had already lived more than one life, starting anew when things hadn’t gone well as they should have, so playing a role wasn’t what was bothering her. She just had a bad feeling about her whole business with Crowley. Technically, she still hadn’t accepted to work with him, but on the other hand she was pretty sure that she couldn’t just say “no” to the Devil without having to face unpleasant consequences. The way out she had created for herself was just an illusion, she was smart enough to see it. But it was nice to pretend that it was there.

A car passed past her and she caught a glimpse of four people chatting and singing together with the radio. Crowley had also told her that maybe the brothers wouldn’t have been alone. He hadn’t elaborated the information, but somewhere in her head a neon light saying “not human” had started to flash. She had been tempted to ask for a clarification, but the demon had already began to inform her of how she should behave with her targets and she had had to chase her questions away and listen to him. And now she would have to wait and see what surprise the black Chevrolet would bring her. She could have bet that Crowley had omitted that detail on purpose, just to make everything more fun. Yeah, because, if she could have her trial period, he had to get his dose of entertainment.

She reached the small open space in front of the petrol station and put down her rucksack before leaning against a pole. There she was. Now the only thing she had to do was waiting for the Winchesters and their possible supernatural companions. She shot a longing glance at the pretty cashier of the station. If she hadn’t been a woman on the job she would have surely spent some time flirting with her. Too bad that she couldn’t afford missing the Chevrolet. She sighed and pulled her mp3 player out. The music would keep her some company. She leant more against the wood and relaxed, her eyes never leaving the road, the notes bursting in her ears.


	5. V.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> I managed to be on time this week too! I'm a bit busy, so I'll be brief this time with the introduction. So, in this chapter we get to see what Castiel is doing, and also maybe start to get an idea of what's wrong with him, and Charlie will meet Gabriel and the boys (which means troubles xD).  
> The goddess who's mentioned was the Celtic goddess of the paths, protector of the travelers. We don't know much about her since she is known from only two inscriptions. The first of these was found in Labin, Croatia and the second in Fiume, the Veneto region of Italy. 
> 
> Thanks a lot to all the readers! Please let me know what you think of the story so far. I'd like to know if it's worth keep going...
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **Warnings:** This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 6th 2015_

Everything was still and perfectly silent. There wasn’t even a breath of wind to move the endless sea of sand. No sound disturbed the quietness of the dunes. The moon shone in the sky, white and round, bathing the desert in her silver light. There was something otherworldly in the landscape, something magical and mysterious.

Castiel stared at the sand, motionless as everything around him, his blue eyes shining even more than usual while reflecting the moonlight. He remembered watching over that country, millennia before. He had seen its civilisations raising and falling, destroying and creating, fighting and living. They had left behind them audacious and beautiful marks, such as the pyramids that were still standing some miles away from him, hidden to the sight by the hills of sand. That place held for him a bittersweet taste of nostalgia, bringing back to his mind memories of a time of peace and joy now irremediably lost.

The angel raised his gaze to the sky, watching the stars glowing fiercely in the dark of the space. He didn’t know for how long he had been standing there in the freezing cold of the night, too lost in his contemplation to care about the passing time. His fading Grace failed to give him a precise answer, but it didn’t matter. He had come there after speaking with Gabriel and had watched the sun setting behind the dunes.

He frowned remembering his older brother’s worried expression. The archangel had always been awfully good at hiding whatever was going on in his mind, but in the last look they had exchanged he had clearly seen his concern. “Be careful,” those golden eyes were saying, and then: “Come back”. It had been an awkward moment, but he couldn’t blame Gabriel for that. After spending so many centuries playing the role of the Trickster it was natural that he still hadn’t adapted to being an angel once again. His older sibling had never been good at keeping to the straight and narrow.

He had been wondering why, among all his brothers and sisters, their Father had chosen the one who had gone pagan to help them, but in retrospect it made sense. Gabriel had been involved with the Winchesters for quite a long time and in the end he had chosen their side against his family, just as he himself had done. Besides, back then when they were still in Heaven together, he used to spend many hours with the archangel and, even if they hadn’t really spoken in millennia, he couldn’t help being glad to have him back by his side.

His thoughts slowly drifted away from his brother and went back to the discussion he had had with Dean. He closed his eyes, recalling the hunter’s harsh words. He wished that he could find the answers he needed in that lonely place so that he could go back to his best friend already, but something was telling him than it wasn’t the right place. Wherever his true destination was, it wasn’t there among the quiet dunes, under that clear starry sky.

He turned around and started to walk, his feet sinking in the sand, heading towards nowhere in particular. The landscape around him seemed to never change, but he could see the small differences that would have gone unnoticed to human eyes. There was a silent melody playing in the air, an imperceptible sound that echoed all around him, making his Grace stir. He titled his head on one side, slightly confused by the strange emotion he was feeling, and stepped forwards in the direction from which the music seemed to be coming.

The silver moonlight hit him and drew his shadow on the sand. He lowered his eyes on it, stopping his tracks. From its back a pair of large folded wings sprouted, their tips brushing against the ground. Castiel carefully spread one of them and from its shadowed form a shower of feathers fell. He frowned again. He could feel the light of each one leaving him, making him a little weaker. Soon flying would become a draining effort for him. He folded the wing back with the other one and started to follow the music once again.

He couldn’t have said for how long he had walked. The moon had already started its descent when he caught the sight of a small light in the dark of the night. At a better look, it turned out to be a solitary tent with a nice fire crackling in front of it. A figure cloaked in blue was curled up near the flames and the angel could smell the scent of mint even from that distance. With little hesitation, he approached the tent and stopped only when he was standing on the other side of the campfire, in front of the mysterious woman. The latter raised her eyes towards him and spoke some soft Tuareg words, waving her cape in a welcoming gesture. Castiel sat down where he was showed and took the cup that the stranger offered him without a word.

They sat together in silence, staring at the dancing flames. The clay was burning against the angel’s palms, but he wouldn’t have noticed even if the heat could have actually affected him. The melody was still lingering in the air, stronger than before, and it made the atmosphere somehow holy, almost as if God’s presence had left a trace in that solitary landscape. During his vain search for his Father, Castiel had wandered in many places where His essence was stronger than usual, but this time there was something different. He had never experienced such peace of mind on Earth before.

He raised his eyes towards the sky once again, fixing them on the pale moon. He imagined staying in that place forever, that night stretching for all the time he had left to live. No more worries, no more burdens, no more guilt. Only the silence, the heat of the fire and the scent of desert tea. Peace for his mortally wounded Grace. It would have been so easy to just let everything go and forget. To forget about the war, the Leviathans, about Hell and Heaven, monsters and angels. To forget his mission, his duty, sinking into a sweet oblivion, leaving behind the painful void in his chest, which once had been filled by his now lost faith.

Three dark presences invading the calm of the night brought him back to the present, breaking his fantasy. _Demons_. He got on his feet quickly, his eyes scanning the surroundings attentively until they stopped on three rapidly approaching figures. The cloaked woman didn’t move at all and went on sipping her tea, calm and relaxed. Castiel shot her a curious glance, but decided to investigate later about that lack of reaction. He stepped forwards, positioning before the fire, so that he was shielding his host.

“Oh, look at what we have here!” One of the demons smirked, as they stopped a few step away from him. His black eyes stood out against the blond hair of his vessel. “Aren’t you the little angel who has tried to fool Crowley? I bet that he’d be very grateful if we handed you over to him. Don’t you agree?”

“You should try and catch me first,” Castiel pointed out, unmoved by the threatening tone. “But I would heartily advise you against it, if you care for your unworthy lives.”

“Isn’t he cute? He’s trying to look scary!” Another one, a young woman, mocked cruelly. “Are you aware that you don’t look too good, hun?”

The angel’s stare became more intense at the comment. Was his poor state already that obvious? “I might not be in my best shape, but it’s enough to beat some dregs of Hell like you,” he stated, voice still emotionless.

He didn’t give them the time to answer or react and one moment later he was right in front of the third demon, his fingers resting on his forehead. The hellish creature almost hadn’t the time to scream while the angelic power invaded him, sending him straight back to the Pit and leaving behind his unconscious vessel. He turned around and attacked the blond. The latter grabbed his wrist, but he wasn’t quick enough. A white flash ran through his body, throwing him on the ground. The demon groaned loudly, but then he raised his head, wounded but still there and alive.

“That’s all you can do, little angel?” He teased, drying the blood that was falling from his eyes with a hand. “I’m not a wimp as that idiot was!”

Castiel looked at him, caught off guard, and the woman exploited his hesitation, jumping on him and gripping at his throat with both hands. Her long nail sank deep in his flesh, drawing out blood. He struggled against her, but she was stronger than he had anticipated. The other demon didn’t waste the opportunity, throwing himself at him in turn. His fist crashed violently into his ribs, breaking the bones with a nasty crack, and then hit his jaw, splitting his lower lip.

“You’re no longer boasting now, aren’t you, angel?” The woman growled, tightening his grip on his neck even more and threatening to snap it. “Are you still persuaded that you’ll beat us?”

“I am,” he stated calmly, despite his position. And he sank his angel blade into her chest.

The demon let out a surprised gasp and collapsed at his feet, eyes wide opened, her blood soaking the sand. The blond reacted immediately, jumping backwards, out of his reach, and shot him a glare full of hatred. The angel simply ignored it and stood erect, wielding his sword solemnly, feeling back in the role of the divine warrior. His eyes were shining intensively, blue flames in the night, brighter than the fire behind him. The demon growled, but took a step back, ready to flee, having understood that the battle was lost and that he had better run for his life. However, before he could do anything, Castiel appeared behind him and stabbed him, letting the blade sink until he reached the heart of the creature. The latter let out a terrible scream and fell on the ground near his companion, dead. The angel ran a hand on his coat, making the blood stains disappear and stared at the two corpses, a blank expression on his face.

“I’ll take care of the bodies and of the survivor,” a voice claimed gently from his right. “You don’t need to worry about anything, Castiel, angel of the Lord.”

Castiel turned to see the woman in blue now standing next to him, a soft smile on her ageless tanned face. She was no human, he should have noticed it sooner, and she was extremely gorgeous. “You seem to know me, but I have never met you before,” he said slowly, titling his head. “Who are you?”

“The humans once knew me as Sentona. I’m the protector of travellers and of the ones who have lost their way,” she explained quietly, her smile never fading. “And you have lost your path, haven’t you, Castiel?”

“I have lost more than that, Sentona,” he answered, lowering his eyes, almost ashamed. However, the feeling didn’t burden him. For some obscure reason the woman’s presence made him feel at ease as he had rarely been. The warmth with which she pronounced his name brought him comfort and hope. She was the one who made the atmosphere holy and serene, now he could see. His Father had nothing to do with it. “I am afraid that I have lost myself.”

“It’s alright, Castiel. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Only the ones who are brave enough to question their whole being risk losing themselves so completely. But they are also the only ones who have the strength to rise again from the abyss. That’s why you have come to me. I’ll be your guardian until you need me.” She opened her arms, welcoming and gentle, and took a step towards him. “You have nothing to fear. I know how much your past and your mistakes pain you, I know your sorrow. And I want to offer you the peace you desire. You protected me from those demons without hesitation, so I owe you. You can stay, if you want. Forever. You can become one of my emissaries, a deity of lost paths. I’ll give you new powers and you’ll no longer have to worry about losing your Grace.” She held out a hand for him. “I’ll wash your sins away and you’ll be reborn, as pure as you used to be. But the choice is yours.”

The angel stared at her stretched fingers, feeling the temptation to give in getting stronger and stronger. He longed for peace and forgiveness, for purity and love. It would have been as if he had gone back in time, when he still had a real family, when Heaven still felt like home. He reached out for her, but suddenly Dean’s face and Gabriel’s words came into his mind, breaking the illusion he was living. He stopped abruptly. It would be so easy, it would feel so good, but he couldn’t just leave everything and “go pagan”, to use his older brother’s words. He had left to prove to himself and to his friends that he could still be trusted, that he was still worth their affection. He couldn’t fail them again nor could he leave them to take care of the consequences of his mistakes. He lowered his arm and shook his head.

“I thank you for your kind offer, Sentona, but I cannot accept. What you are ready to give me is something I strongly desired, but I can’t take it. I am sorry. Because all I really long for is finding where I belong. And I know that it isn’t by your side,” he spoke quietly, watching the goddess lowering her hand. The warmth around them didn’t falter, on the contrary it got more comforting, encouraging. “If I gave up, my deaths, my falls, my fights and my sorrow, everything I have done would be in vain. Besides, there is someone waiting for me and I have sworn to them and to myself that I would come back.”

Sentona’s smile grew wider. “I understand. That’s a brave choice, Castiel. It suits the warrior you have never ceased to be,” she praised in her soft, musical tone. She stepped forward again, until she was right in front of him, and laid her hands on his chest. “Stay here until dawn. Let me heal you before you leave and rest. This search you have undertaken will require all your energy and powers. But when you feel desperate, don’t give up. Remind yourself why this is important and keep going.”

“I will. I promise,” he replied burying his eyes in hers. Her irises glowed of a silvery light, similar to the moon’s one. He could feel the pleasant heat of her hand silently healing his broken bones. Her fingertips moved to his broken lips in a gentle caress, washing away the blood and repairing the skin.

She nodded, satisfied, and moved away. “Good. Now, come and sit with me. Your tea is getting cold.”

He obeyed and they sat once again before the fire, without speaking. Castiel took his cup in his hands once again, finding that it was still as hot as when he had left it, and watched the silver moon walk through her orbit in the lightening sky.

When the sun had finally started to rise, he got up, leaving his empty cup next to the goddess. She looked up and they stared at each other for a long, intense moment, then the angel straightened his posture and one moment later he was gone in a flap of wings.

Sentona stretched out a hand and grabbed one of the feathers that her guest had left behind. It was burning and seemed made of light. She threw it in her fire that suddenly lit up, the flames changing from red to light blue. “I will pray to the gods for your sake, Castiel,” she whispered, her silver eyes lost in the dancing light. “I hope that you will succeed and that one day we will meet again in happier circumstances.”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

“I’m bored,” Gabriel whined for the umpteenth time, glaring hard at the landscape out of the window. “Remind me why won’t you let me just fly you there?”

“Because there’s no way I’m leaving my Baby alone and because I hate your angel zapping,” Dean almost growled, throwing a murderous look in the former Trickster’s direction. “Can’t you just shut the fuck up? I’m fed up with your complains.”

The archangel groaned, chewing his freshly materialised bar of chocolate. “But I’m _bored_!”

The older Winchester clenched his fists. If the idiot didn’t stop complaining he would soon lose it. “I don’t fucking care. Shut you pie hole! And make all those scrap papers disappear. Dammit, how many sweets can you eat in one freaking hour?!”

Sam sighed quietly, but said nothing. He had no intention of joining that argument, no sane person would. By now he’d almost admitted to himself that _maybe_ the porn was better. At least it had kept the other two busy, even if it had meant hearing the most mortifying comments. Once the video had ended, Gabriel had been quiet for about fifteen minutes before starting to repeat that all that time spent in the car was useless and boring. Dean had tried to explain him what it meant to them, showing himself to be surprisingly patient at first, but when the archangel had gone on whining the older hunter had given up any pretence of good manners and had started to yell at him in turn. It had worked for some time, because the shorter man had retreated in the back seat, sulking and busying himself with a huge amount of candies, but apparently the truce was over.

“Hey, Sam, why don’t you let that pain in the ass of your brother drive?” Gabriel asked without a warning, ruining the younger hunter’s plan of staying out of the discussion. “You surely can entertain me much better that this annoying monkey!”

“If you think that I’ll let you touch _my_ brother in _my_ car, you are very, very _wrong_. And very, very _dead_!” Dean threatened immediately, turning around to face the archangel, who was once again sprawled on the backseat. “Got it, you freak?”

The former Trickster smirked in response. “I wasn’t thinking about sex, actually. I’m more in a talking mood at the moment. But, now that you have mentioned it, some physical activity could be a good idea as well,” he shot back in a mocking tone, clearly enjoying teasing the human. “Thanks, Deano! I’m sure that your little brother will enjoy another shot of amazing archangel’s Grace.”

“He will _not_. I won’t let you exploit his easy addiction to supernatural substances!” The older hunter snarled, pointing his gun at the archangel. “Keep your appendages away from Sammy. _All_ of them.”

“Hey, I’m seated right here, you know?” The younger Winchester interjected, rolling his eyes and shooting his companions a nasty glare. His brother’s comment on his supposed “easy addiction” had been the last straw. “Stop talking about me as if I wasn’t here. It’s annoying. Listen, we’ll arrive to a petrol station in about two minutes. Once there I’ll let you, Dean, drive and I’ll _talk_ with you, Gabriel. So you both will be busy and my poor head won’t explode. I had enough shit when I was in that damned Cage with Lucifer and after my wall was broken. So, please, just stop. We’ll do as I said. Deal?”

The other two didn’t look too happy about his suggestion, but none of them objected. Sam didn’t like using his still fresh trauma as a tool to obtain what he wanted, but he had stated the truth. After all the screams, the manic laughter and the Devil’s endless chatting, he wished he could have a bit of quietness. At least when he wasn’t fighting monsters or angels.

He tried to focus on the road once again, hoping that the renewed silence would put his mind at rest, but he found out that he couldn’t chase away the thought of the Cage now that he had brought it up. Remembering didn’t hurt like before and he no longer felt the deadly anguish he had experienced during his coma, but it was still disturbing. The side effects of Gabriel’s Grace had almost disappeared and he was now aware of how disturbing those memories were, even if they were no longer a real threat for his mental health. He would have nightmares for months, maybe for years, like it had happened after Jessica’s death. His only reassurance was that eventually they would stop. They had more important problems to face right now, and he couldn’t allow his companions to waste time and energies for him. It wouldn’t be easy or pleasant, but he could manage. He _had_ to.

“Sam, are you alright?” Dean asked, bringing him back to the present. He had noticed how the look on his brother’s face had darkened and he had felt a pang of concern for him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam nodded quickly. It wasn’t exactly the truth, but for once it was close enough. He could feel the archangel’s eyes on him and he didn’t dare to look at him, fearing that the other could read what he had been thinking and speak it aloud. The petrol station came into view in that right moment, giving him the chance to change the subject. “Here we are. We should gas up the car while we have the chance.”

His brother nodded in agreement and he drove into the square where the pumps were located. The Winchesters got out of the car to take care of the petrol, while Gabriel didn’t bother to leave his comfortable place in the back seat. Dean kept shooting inquiring looks at Sam, not convinced by his previous answer, but the other pretended not to notice them and for once he didn’t press further on the matter. The younger hunter felt grateful for it and he hoped that it was the sign that his sibling was starting to trust him again.

They did everything almost without speaking and then went back to the vehicle, walking closely side by side. Sam hid a smile. The elder’s protective behaviour at times was annoying and exaggerated, but he had to admit to himself that it made him feel good in spite of everything. Dean’s care for him, for whom he considered family, was comforting and made him feel somehow safer, even in the worse situations.

“Hey! Excuse me!” A female voice called from behind them, breaking the train of his thoughts.

The two hunters turned around and saw a woman around their age approaching them quickly. Her long red hair was tied in a ponytail and she kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket, to shield them from the cold. The stranger reached them and offered an awkward smile. She didn’t seem much at ease.

“Uh, hi. I was wondering if you could give me a ride,” she said after a moment of silence, clearing her throat. “I’m heading to Mountain Pine. I need to get there today or my boss will kill me.”

“Mountain Pine?” Sam repeated, smiling back encouragingly. He could relate to the girl’s uneasiness. When he was younger, he used to have to have the same problems with approaching strangers. “We’re heading there too. So I guess there’s no problem if you ride with us.”

“Yeah, no problem at all. You can come,” Dean agreed, with a shrug. “No one wants your boss to kick that nice ass! He offered her a small seductive grin. “By the way, I’m Dean and this is my little brother Sam. And that idiot in the car…” He pointed the archangel, who was now waving in their direction. “…is Gabriel. We’re journalists. We work for a newspaper in Little Rock. Nice to meet you.”

“Really? What a coincidence…I’m a journalist too! I work for a small press in Hot Spring,” Charlie beamed, relaxing a bit. They all were playing a role and she couldn’t help finding it amusing. She glanced at the blond man in the car and waved back at him, wondering briefly what he could be. She then shook the brothers’ hands. “I’m Charlene, by the way. But everybody calls me Charlie. Nice to meet you too, Dean and Sam. And…Gabriel, right?”

“Yeah. Come on, we should go. We still have some hours of driving before arriving,” the younger hunter said, gesturing towards the car. “Uh, Charlie, it’s better if you ride shotgun, if you don’t mind. At times Gabriel is a bit… _improper_.”

Dean made a face, clearly not liking the idea of the archangel and his brother sitting together, but for Sam’s sake that once he didn’t comment, while the woman nodded, looking slightly puzzled, and said: “Alright, no problem, Sam.”

The three reached the car and Dean started the engine as soon as Charlene had slipped into the passenger seat. The younger Winchester pushed Gabriel away to gain some more space in the back only to have the archangel smirk at him and lay down once again, his head in the human’s lap. The latter glared at him, caught a bit off guard and annoyed, but he didn’t do anything to make him move. Mostly it was because he knew that the angel wouldn’t have let him push him away, no matter what he had done, but a part of him, which he was doing his best to ignore, found the closeness pleasant. Gabriel’s warmth reminded him of the sensation of the Grace sinking into his flesh and helped him chasing away the bad memories.

Dean rolled his eyes at the sight, but pretended not to have noticed, while the young woman shot a curious glance at them through the rear-view mirror. A small grin opened on her lips and she turned to face the two. Maybe she wasn’t the only one to have alternative tastes there.

“Is he your boyfriend, Sam?” She asked nonchalantly and a bit amused, looking meaningfully at their current position.

“No,” Dean immediately stated, right in the same moment when Gabriel claimed: “Yes.”

The woman let her eyes wander among the three while a knowing smirk appeared on her face. “Let me guess!” She said cheerfully. “You two have just started dating and Dean here is playing the role of the jealous overprotective big brother. That’s it, isn’t it?”

The older hunter let out a snort, but Sam spoke before his brother could open his mouth and say that the archangel was just taking advantage of his soft heart, or something on that line. “Yeah, it’s something like that,” he said, a bit awkwardly. “Uh, I mean…We are not actually _dating_. It’s complicated.” He shot a look at Gabriel, who stared back but remained silent, a small amused grin lingering on his lips. He wondered for a moment what the other was thinking, before turning his attention back to his speaker once again. “We are…trying to figure out how the things work between us.”

“Oh, I see,” Charlene nodded, her smirk widening a bit. “You know, I think that those situation are one of the best periods in a relationship.” She chuckled. “You need to get to know the other and so there are a lot of dates and especially a lot of crazy _sex_.”

Dean almost choked on air at that, while the younger hunter felt his face growing hot and he fervently hoped that his cheeks hadn’t become red as he feared.

Gabriel’s grin instead widened and he clapped his hands, clearly approving. “Oh, girl, I like the way you think. Really, really much,” he commented, looking almost impressed. “Wanna date me too? I’m sure that Sammy won’t mind since we are not official yet.”

Sam muttered something under his breath that sounded like “Why me?” and “Don’t call me Sammy”, while the young woman laughed and shook her head. “I’m glad we agree on that point. And I’m flattered, Gabriel, but sorry. I don’t swing that way.”

“Ah, what a pity. It would have been fun,” the archangel said with a shrug. “If you ever change your mind and decide to give men a try, give me a call. But I’ll understand if you never do. Who in this car doesn’t appreciate hot talented flexible girls after all?”

“Well said,” Charlie approved with a nod. She was enthusiastic of how the things were going. She was already starting to like those guys and she hoped that Crowley hadn’t something too nasty ready for them. “I have all the numbers of Busty Asian Beauties…And I’ll be really glad if one of those women was the death of me!”

Gabriel’s eyes lit up in amusement at that and he smiled widely at her. “For Father’s sake, I madly love you already, Charlene. Best girl of the planet! I should have more lesbian friends.”

“I hate to say it,” Dean interjected, looking at their guest with a smug grin. “But for once I totally agree with you, Gabriel. This girl rocks!”

Charlene let out another laugh, shaking her head. “Well, it seems that I’ve been luckier than I thought. I ended up in a car with great guys with my same good tastes.”

Sam closed his eyes and let his head fall on the edge of the seat, suddenly wishing that Castiel was with them. At least he wouldn’t have been the only one to suffer there. He wasn’t ready for another conversation about sex and strange kinks. The one he had heard earlier had been enough. He wished he had at least his laptop with him so that he could distract himself working on the case, but it was back in the trunk, together with the articles that Bobby had given them. And with Charlie in the car he couldn’t exactly ask the former Trickster to snap them back.

Gabriel stirred against him and he instinctively lowered his eyes on the other. The archangel was looking at him not even trying to hide his amusement and showing that he exactly know what was going in the younger Winchester’s mind.

Sam snorted, lifting his eyes, and gave the other’s shoulder a small push. Gabriel grabbed his wrist before he could retreat his arm and shoved his hand in his own hair, looking at him expectantly. The hunter raised an eyebrow and mouthed “ _Really_?”, receiving just a more intense look in response. He sighed, shaking his head, but let his fingers sank in the shorter man’s hair, gently rubbing his skull. He thanked God for the fact that Dean was too busy discussing with Charlene to notice what he was doing and tried hard not to think about it in turn, and especially to ignore the fact that the archangel had started to _purr_ against his leg. If he was almost sure that he could handle the nightmares and the bad memories, he didn’t know if he could manage whatever was going on between him and Gabriel. He suppressed a groan. The universe had to really hate him.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlene let her rucksack fall on the bed before heading towards the bathroom. She needed a shower or, even better, a long bath. It had been a while since the last time she had taken one. The hotel room wasn’t the best place she had been in, but at least it was clean and it had a bathtub that looked usable. She could give it a try.

She left the hot water flowing and went back in the bedroom to pick up some clean clothes and to take off the ones she was wearing. She had an hour and half to spend before meeting the guys in the hall. They had checked in the same motel and had decided to have dinner together. She smiled at the thought.

The ride had been fun, she had quite enjoyed it. She and Dean had got along very quickly, something that hadn’t happened to her in a while. He was good at joking and his sharp sarcasm had caught her attention. Besides, he seemed to be the sincere, rough but caring type and she liked it. Sam was quieter than his brother, but she had grasped that he was smart and that he liked computers, so they had something important in common. Gabriel was weird, but not in a negative way. At first sight he seemed to be a very out-going guy, the people person type, but she had the feeling that part of it was just a well-built facade. He was intriguing, especially since she was almost sure that he was not human. She wondered if she would ever find out what he really was.

Charlie wrapped herself in a bathrobe and grabbed her mobile phone. Crowley had told her to call him once she had got some information on the Winchesters and so she dialled his number, even if not without a bit of reluctance. Now that she had got to know the boys, she liked the idea of somehow double-crossing them even less. She had no clue of what the demon’s plans for them could be, but they couldn’t be nothing good, coming from the King of Hell. The phone rang a couple of time before she got an answer.

“Good evening, Charlene,” Crowley’s voice welcomed her cheerfully. “So, have you met my boys? Interesting guys, aren’t they?”

“Hello, Crowley,” she greeted with much less enthusiasm. “Yeah, I’m staying in their same hotel and I’m eating with them tonight. They’re here for the mysterious accidents, but I guess you already know this, don’t you?”

“Of course I know. I sent them there thanks to your hacking abilities,” the demon answered and she could hear his smirk in his words. “They’re monsters hunters, I told you. There’s something in that town, something quite bad, so be careful, my dear. But I’m sure that the Winchesters will keep you safe. Just stick around and try to find out which is their real goal.”

“This whole thing has something to do with the Leviathans, hasn’t it?” she asked, ignoring the light shiver at the mention of the _thing_. She had never been a fan of real monsters. “They hunt monsters. Leviathans are big bad monsters. So, Dean and Sam must be involved.”

“Have I already told you how much I appreciate your intelligence? You’d make a wonderful demon, Charlie dear,” the King of Hell sang, apparently pleased, but there was a dark note or warning in his tone. “Yes, they’re after the Leviathans. And that’s why I need to know what they’re exactly planning to do to fight them.”

“It wasn’t so difficult to guess,” she answered carefully, not knowing what kind of reaction she might get out of the other if she sounded too sure of herself or too daring. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t read the other’s real intentions. It was as if there was a second meaning hidden in every word he spoke and she found it disquieting. “I’ll find a way to get to know something about that. Oh, they’re travelling with another guy. Name’s Gabriel. But he’s not human, is he?”

“Gabriel? Just him? Didn’t they mention someone called Castiel?” The demon asked, ignoring her last statement. “That’s odd. I had expected the little one to stick with them too…”

Charlie raised an eyebrow. She could picture her speaker frowning at the news. “No, never. Who’s this Castiel?” She questioned with a bit more force this time. “Another one of their supernatural friends?”

“Yeah. He used to be Dean’s best buddy, but recently they had a…nasty argument, if we can call it like that. And so it seems that our Cas has wandered off on his own. Not so bad. I’ll take care of him.” Crowley kept quiet for a moment. “Anyway, be careful around that Gabriel guy, Charlene. He is really powerful and much more dangerous than he looks.”

“Won’t you tell me what he is?” She pushed again, but she already knew that she was wasting her breath.

“No, it’s better if you don’t know, or you wouldn’t be able to look at him in the same way you do now,” the Devil answered firmly. It sounded like an order. “And we don’t want to blow up your cover, do we? He won’t hurt you if you aren’t perceived as a threat, so relax.”

The woman bit back a bitter comment about how _not_ reassuring those words were and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. “Alright. As you wish, Crowley. But this is not over,” she said instead, trying to sound determinate. “I don’t like this. I’m risking my life for you, so I think that I deserve at least to know whom or _what_ I am dealing with. But for now it’s fine.”

“Good girl,” the demon praised, but the dark note was back in his voice. “I have to leave you know, my presence is required elsewhere. Call me if you find anything else. Or if you are in need of something. Have a nice evening.”

Charlene rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you too.”

She ended the call with a sigh and put the phone on the sink. That hellish bastard. He had all the power in his hands and he knew it. If she hadn’t been so afraid of what he could do to her just with a snap of fingers, she would have sent him to Hell already. Metaphorically speaking.

She turned the water off and stripped before entering the now full bathtub. The feeling of the hot water against her skin was pleasant and she decided that Crowley didn’t deserve to ruin her mood. She would do as he had said and enjoy her nice evening with the boys. Who knew, maybe that mission would bring her some nice surprises too.


	6. VI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, everybody!
> 
> I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been having some problems lately and so no time and especially no inspiration to write. I'll try to be on time from now on, but I can't promise that I will for sure! I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and that it will be worth the wait!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 6th 2015_

Sam shut his laptop with a sigh and leant back against the chair, stretching his numb limbs. Sometimes being so tall was uncomfortable. The tables were always a bit too short for him and so was any kind of seat. And at times even the beds, especially the ones of cheap motel rooms.

With a sigh, he glanced again at the clock and then at his brother who was busy cleaning their arsenal on one of the beds. Gabriel had left as soon as they had reached the room, saying that he needed to wander off for some business, adding that he would meet them later at the diner for dinner. The younger hunter had raised an eyebrow at the archangel, not convinced at all, but he hadn’t pressed the matter and had stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. Most likely the former Trickster needed to find something fun to do to unload the huge amount of energy that was stored in his too small body and he decided that it was better if he did it far away from them. And the younger Winchester was grateful for the thought. The last thing they needed was to attract unwanted attention.

Sam sighed again and shook his head, getting up. “Dean,” he called turning towards his brother again. “It’s almost time to meet Charlene.”

“Yeah, sure. Give me a minute,” Dean answered glancing up before starting to put the weapons back in their bag. “Did you find anything interesting?”

The younger hunter shook his head. “Not much. Just some more details about the accidents, but nothing really useful,” he explained sitting down on his bed. “No signs, no past references to something out of ordinary happening, not even some stupid ghost story. This place is the most normal town of the world. Or, at least, it was.”

“Well, it will go back to be its old boring self soon, because we’re going to find whatever damned thing is causing this mess and kick its ass,” the elder stated firmly. “Maybe that idiotic archangel of yours will prove himself useful for once and will help us figuring out what’s going on here.”

“Once again, Gabriel’s not _my_ archangel.” Sam protested, exasperated. “For God’s sake, Dean. I’ve already told you to stop. It was just a stupid ritual, nothing more. Leave it be, please.”

Dean snorted, showing clearly that he wasn’t buy a single word of what his brother had just said. “Yeah, just a ritual. But you don’t seem to be so disturbed by the fact that it involved a Trickster fucking you, Sam!”

The younger Winchester closed his eyes for a moment and bit his lips, trying to hold back a bitter answer. He wanted to tell his brother to mind his own business and to leave his alone. After all what had happened concerned only him and Gabriel. And Dean should really just shut up. He was the one who usually spent whole minutes staring at an angel, who was always in his personal space. However, he refrained from making that comment because he knew that mentioning Castiel wasn’t the best thing to do. His sibling was still upset about the whole issue and he didn’t want to make it worse. Because he, unlike his brother, was able to show some touch.

“Can you just tell me what your problem is?” He asked instead after a moment, trying to keep his voice calm. “I’m the one who slept with Gabriel, not you. I can understand that the whole thing can be weird for you. It is for me too. But I don’t think that fussing over it will help, so I’ve decided that it’s better to leave it be. It’s done and dusted. My mind is almost sane again and we’ve got an archangel on our side. Two huge pros. I don’t see the need to keep discussing the matter.”

The elder kept quiet for some time, turning his gun in his hands. “What troubles me is the fact that now you seem to be suddenly fond of that bastard. Have you forgotten what he had done to us? Or has the sex totally brainwashed you?” He pointed out in the end.

He didn’t like the relationship that was growing between his brother and the Trickster. He didn’t trust the latter, especially not near Sam. He kept expecting some kind of bad joke from him, even if a part of him kept on telling him that Gabriel really wanted to help them this time. Besides, there was another feeling lingering in his gut every time he saw the other two together. They reminded him of the closeness that he and Castiel used to share. He would never admit it, not even to himself, but he was _jealous_. And, in spite of everything that had been going on, he missed his own personal angel. Castiel had said it himself once. They shared a more profound bond, a special connection. And maybe it was true, even if Dean had never wanted to admit it.

“He tried to force us to say yes to those motherfuckers and killed me a hundred times!” He resumed, opening his arms slightly. “You’ve never liked him, apart from when we first met him and we thought he was an ordinary janitor. You’ve even hated him for some time. So forgive me if I don’t understand why, so suddenly, you let him not only having his way with you without too much complain, because that I can understand, we needed to fix you, but…You’re _friendly_ with him. You take care of his whims and you let him into your personal space far too much for my liking. And you seem to enjoy it, even if it annoys you too. Would you mind telling me what’s going on, Sam?”

The younger Winchester ran a hand in his hair, looking up at the ceiling. “I haven’t forgotten what he’s done to us. And I haven’t forgiven him. I was the one who had to watch you die over and over again. You don’t even remember it happening. And I still haven’t digested the whole thing about the genital herpes either.” He glared at the other seeing him smirking slightly at that. It hadn’t been funny at all. “But I can’t forget that he’s protected us from the pagan gods and challenged Lucifer either. He _died_ to let us and Kali escape from that damned hotel, Dean. I can’t ignore it. And you shouldn’t either. He isn’t the best person in the world, I agree. He’s one of the biggest assholes I have ever met. But he chose our side in the end. He stood up against his own kind. And I feel that I owe him for. He healed me. And…”

He stopped, hesitating for a moment. He wasn’t sure about what he was about to say and he didn’t want Dean to misunderstand his words, especially since he himself didn’t know exactly what they meant. He looked away from his sibling before continuing. “I enjoyed talking with him the first time we met him, before finding out that he was what we were hunting,” he admitted in the end, feeling a bit reluctant. It was as if saying those things out aloud made them truer and he didn’t like the idea. “He can be a nice fellow from time to time. I…I sort of like him. And he likes me too, he told me before we…” He waved a hand, eyes still fixed on the floor. “It was nice to hear it. He cares, Dean. About me, about Cas, and about you too. Even if he acts like the dick he is.”

Dean stared at his brother for a while, even if the other refused to meet his eyes. He couldn’t believe at what he had just heard, and he could believe even less that Sam had no clue about what he had just indirectly confessed. He was so going to kick Gabriel’s ass, even if technically the archangel wasn’t directly to blame for it. He didn’t know if he should laugh or yell. Probably both, because the whole situation was far too absurd.

In the end he did neither and just he shook his head with sigh, letting out a noise that was both exasperated and amused. “I can’t believe that this day has come. You, the one who once was all “I want to become a lawyer and marry a pretty girl and forget about the monsters”, have a _crush_ on a fucking angelic Trickster,” he commented incredulous, sounding oddly impressed at the same time. “That’s a huge surprise, Sammy. Really. If someone had told me that this was going to happen two days ago I’d have laughed in their face and then shot them! You never cease to amaze me, little brother.”

Sam shot him a murderous glare. That was the kind of comment he had feared to hear. “I don’t have a crush on Gabriel,” he talked back, his voice firmer than he really felt about the matter. “I don’t like him in that way. He’s a valuable ally. Maybe one day we’ll be friends too, who knows. But that’s all.”

The older hunter held his gaze with his same exasperating determination. “Yeah, go on telling that to yourself after you spent the entire ride cuddling with him. Yeah, I saw that. I’m not blind,” he mocked, crossing his arms. Then he turned a bit more serious. “Listen, Sammy. We’ve already had this conversation. I don’t approve of your… _affiliation_ with that fucker, but you’re an adult now and it’s no longer my place to tell you with who you can and can’t hang out. Unless it’s a freaking demon, of course, but I think you’ve learnt your lesson there. As for the bastard, you’ll never have my blessing, but if you like him…Well, suit yourself.” He shrugged. “Your infatuation, your problem. At least until he hurts you. Then it will become my problem too.”

“I don’t…” The younger Winchester started to say, but stopped almost immediately and sighed. Repeating himself wasn’t going to help that conversation and would only persuade his brother that what he had just said was true. Maybe he should be honest for once, truly honest, both with Dean and himself.

“God, I don’t fucking know what’s going on with that idiot, alright?” He admitted shaking his head, sounding almost ashamed. “He says something and then acts in the opposite way. I can’t bring myself to trust him completely. Not yet. And I’m still pissed at him for all he had done, but at the same time…I can’t say no to him. After…Uh…After the ritual, something changed between us. Maybe it’s because I’ve been filled with his Grace, I don’t know, but it is there. I tried to ignore this feeling…But I just can’t. Not when he is around.”

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering something that sounded like “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation” and then cleared his throat, feeling not less uncomfortable than his brother. “Ok. Let’s do this,” he said in a tone that should have been professional but that came out mostly reluctant. “Picture it this way. If Gabriel was a chick, a very _human_ chick, what would you think about this whole situation?”

“I can’t picture Gabriel as a human woman, Dean!” Sam protested, looking at him as if he had gone mad. “And I don’t see the point of this foreplay. It’s stupid.”

The older hunter rolled his eyes. “Make an effort and answer the damned question, Sam,” he ordered in a tone that didn’t admitted complaints. “I’m trying to be a good and patient brother for once, even if I’d like to tell you to go and fuck yourself and your girly issues. I don’t like to play the psychologist, so don’t push me.”

“Fine, fine. No need to get upset.” The younger Winchester raised his hands in surrender and forced himself to do as his sibling had told him. He didn’t want to fight with his brother again, so he decided to play along, even if he really didn’t want to go where the other was trying to lead him. “Well…I guess I would conclude that I might like her, even if she is an annoying bitch.”

Dean nodded in approval. “Very well. And so, what would you do in this case?”

“Really Dean?” Sam questioned, but another hard glare from his brother made him swallowed all his protests. “I guess I’d…try to understand if I do like her for real and if I can get a chance with her,” he answered instead. “Spend more time with her to work out my real feelings. And…” He looked away. “Try to get more sex meanwhile.”

The older hunter groaned at his last sentence. “You could have omitted the last thing. I already got too many pictures in my skull,” he complained in distaste. Then he shook his head. “Anyway, here is your answer. You _do_ have a crush on him. Or an infatuation of some sort. Do what you’ve just said. But if you two have sex again, I don’t want to know, got it? Oh, and don’t make me have a conversation like this never ever again. Especially about some supernatural guy.”

“I…I…Thanks, Dean” Sam stuttered, not knowing what to say. He still wasn’t completely persuaded by his sibling’s reasoning, but he had to admit that, unluckily, it made sense. He liked his lips and, after a moment of silence, he added: “God. It was so awkward.”

“Yeah, fucking awkward,” Dean agreed with a nod. “That’s why I don’t want it to happen again. Never ever. ”

The younger Winchester nodded, but then a slightly anxious expression appeared on his face. There was something else he had to make sure before closing the subject. “Dean…Are you really alright with this, whatever it is?” he asked again, sounding slightly uncertain. “I don’t want this… _thing_ , assuming that it’s real in the first place, to create even more tension between us. I…I’d choose you over him, if I had to. I mean, family always comes first, right?”

His brother sighed. “Yeah, that’s it. And no, I’m not alright with this thing but…If we survive a Leviathans invasion and a heavenly war, I guess we deserve a reward,” he stated matter-of-factly. “They gave us nothing but crap for stopping the Apocalypse, so it’s better if we take something for ourselves while we can. And if you’re so stupid to let that bastard make you happy, well, stay with him.” He waved a hand. “After all, there’s no real way out of this life and forgetting what’s hiding in the shadows. I tried to leave it all behind. It didn’t work. Hunting will always be our job. It’s in our blood. So it’s better if we share our existence with someone who can take it.”

“Meaning another hunter…or a creature that is on our side,” Sam concluded for him. He reached forward to lay a hand on the other’s shoulder sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Dean. I really wanted you and Lisa to work. But you’re right. This life is the family business, it’s like genetics. We can’t just pretend that all we have been through didn’t happen. It scarred us. Indelibly.”

Their eyes met, getting lost in each other for an intense moment, allowing them to share more than words ever could. The silence lingered for a while, then the older Winchester nodded, pushing his sibling away.

“Fine, fine. This was one of the most horrible and longest chick flick moments we’ve ever had and now I’m already totally disgusted with myself. So please, let’s _stop_ ,” he claimed, standing up. “Come on, let’s go. I’m hungry and I really need a drink after this. Maybe more than one.”

Sam snorted at the comment, but got on his feet in turn. “Yeah, me too. And Charlie is surely already waiting for us by now.”

They got out of the room and headed towards the hall, chatting about everything and nothing. Dean teased Sam about the fact that he used a conditioner to wash his hair and that it was another proof that he was a giant girl, receiving a hard shove as an answer. A maid who had been passing by in that moment gave them a weird look and mumbled something in Portuguese, shaking her head. The younger hunter glared at his brother, in a silent threat that however didn’t affect Dean’s amused smirk, and they hurried to leave the motel.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Gabriel shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked along the main road of the small town. He would have just flown to the diner if it had been just him and the Winchesters, but with the Charlie girl present he couldn’t risk as he usually did around the boys. Or rather, he would have, since his Trickster side was begging him to play some prank on their new friend, but he had promised Sam that he would try to behave.

He rolled his eyes, annoyed. He was sacrificing his fun to keep a promise he had made to a human. He should be ashamed of himself. Playing the archangel again really sucked. Maybe not as much as it had when he had been forced to fight Lucifer, but still quite a lot. And so did being around the younger hunter. He was starting to find saying no to him harder and harder. He had always being inclined to comply with his requests, in the end at least, like the time when he had stuck the brothers in that time loop. But now it was getting worse. He shouldn’t have admitted to have a soft spot on him. The bastard was exploiting that knowledge without giving him something in exchange. Maybe he should start asking a reward every time he did as he was told. He smirked, amused by the thought. That could work. And especially his gigantic kiddo wouldn’t be so happy about it.

He looked up at the sky, his expression sobering up. Speaking about idiots, he wondered what his younger brother was doing. If he made an effort he could still sense the other’s fading Grace, but it was getting weaker and weaker. He frowned at that. If Castiel had stayed with them he could have recharged him with his own powers, even if it would have been just a temporary solution. But his younger sibling had insisted in wandering off by himself, in a crazy search for his own essence. Which made sense, but wasn’t the most intelligent thing to do with an ongoing war and dangerous enemies hunting him. The temptation to go to him and drag him back was strong, but at the same time he knew he couldn’t. Castiel could nothing against his powers, not even when he was in his best shape, but he would have never forgiven him if he had forced him to abandon his search. The last thing they needed was a brothers’ spat inside their small team and so he felt obliged to respect the other angel’s wishes. Which however didn’t mean that he was alright with them and surely didn’t keep him from regularly checking the other’s state.

He let those thoughts go as he realised that he had almost reached his destination. His three companions were standing next to the entrance, chatting, and he quickened his path to reach them, painting one of his usual smirks on his lips. He had no intention to show that he was concerned. The two hunters would have forced him to explain the reason of his worries, with the result of rough, manly Deano freaking out at the news that his angelic best buddy could die alone in a fucking hole and little Sammy fussing over his older brother. He definitely had no patience left for that right now.

“Heya there, guys!” He greeted in an extremely cheerful tone when he was a few step away from the three. “Missed me?”

“Oh, look who’s here! Our favourite First Lady. I was starting to think that you wouldn’t show up,” Dean answered, voice dripping sarcasm. “And you can’t imagine how happy that thought was making me.”

“Love ya too, kiddo,” he talked back with the same mocking tone, gaining a snarl. He wondered how much pissed the older hunter was about the fact that he had slept with his beloved baby brother. He didn’t sense much more hatred than before. Maybe Dean was just behaving because he felt guilty about Castiel leaving. Or perhaps he didn’t mind him and Sam as much as he claimed. He mentally shrugged at the thought and turned his attention on Charlene.

“Heya, miss! You look gorgeous tonight,” he teased gently, taking her hand and kissing it playfully. “How’s my favourite girl? Nice shitty rooms we’ve got, don’t you agree?”

“I’ve seen worse places,” she said freeing her fingers from his grip, but she nodded in agreement. Then she glared murderously at him. “And, Gabriel, you’ve better not treat me like a damsel. I’m one of the knights here, got it? And you should kiss your soon-to-be boyfriend, not me. Sam must be a saint to put up with you.”

The archangel snorted in amusement. “He likes me as I am,” he claimed solemnly, turning towards Sam for the first time and offering him a huge grin. “And, besides, I prefer to greet my boy in another way! Pecks are overrated.” And, before the younger Winchester could do anything to stop him, his hand landed on the human’s butt, squeezing it. “Don’t you agree, Sammy?”

“ _Gabriel_!” Sam half yelped and half growled, caught off guard, while Dean stared at the shorter man with an expression that seemed to be saying: “Your life ends now, son of a bitch!”

Charlie sniggered openly and Gabriel shrugged, slapping Sam’s ass nonchalantly before removing his hand. “He doesn’t… _yet_ ,” he commented gaining another chuckle by the woman and another glare from the brothers. He knew he shouldn’t push his luck so much, but it was too fun. And, besides, he loved risking when it didn’t threaten his health. “What a pity!”

“Let’s go inside,” the younger Winchester muttered, sounding quite unhappy, and without waiting for an answer crossed the threshold, followed by his sibling. Charlene and the archangel exchanged an amused look and went after them.

Sam let himself fall on the seat that the waitress showed them, sighing. Damned angel, he always found a way to embarrass and humiliate him. No one had told him that he had to play the part of the boyfriend, but apparently the shorter man had thought that it would be entertaining to do so, especially considering their recent activities.

The conversation he had had with Dean at the hotel came back in his mind. Why did he have to have a crush on that asshole? Assuming that it was a real crush and not some weird side effect of the Grace. His brother had said that he could do whatever he wanted about it, but he wasn’t even sure that something could be done about it even if he had wanted to. This was Gabriel, after all. He tricked, played, joked to the point that you could never be sure of where the truth was. He knew the other had had some infatuations in the past, serious ones if he considered what had happened with Kali. It had been clear that the archangel still cared a lot about her, even after all that time. But their relationship had been focused mostly on sex and physical attraction. And that was not what he looked for in a relationship. He wanted commitment and seriousness, both traits that the former Trickster didn’t usually show. He had admitted to care about him and had shown true concern about Castiel, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe it meant that they would become friends, even best buddies since the other mostly focused on him other than on Dean, but nothing more. Looking for something else would most likely just earn him hurt and disappointment.

He lost the trail of his thoughts as he saw Dean sitting down in front of him instead of next to him as he had anticipated. He frowned at his brother, who shrugged in answer and turned towards Charlene who had slipped next to him. Sam looked at the empty space next to him, as his mind processed the meaning of that all. He looked up to see Gabriel grinning at him and one moment later the archangel’s tight was pressed against his. He quickly turned his eyes on his sibling once again, his gaze shouting “What the fuck, man?!”. The other hunter raised his eyebrow as if he was saying “He is your crush, Sammy, deal with it” and making him frown even more deeply.

Gabriel watched that silent dialogue with interest and a bit of wonder. Maybe the brothers didn’t realise it, but they had developed their personal way to communicate and the easiness with which they understood each other’s expressions and looks was intriguing. He had never shared such a deep bond with anyone since he had left Heaven. It reminded him of the way in which once he used to be bound to his brothers and sisters. He wondered if he and Castiel could go back doing it, once fixed all that mess. Not without surprise he realised that he wished they would.

He grabbed one of the menus and quickly scanned the list of foods, settling almost immediately on the sweets. He wasn’t very fond of the other kinds of things that humans usually ate and he had no intention to swallow them just to play a role. He would take something from Sam’s plate and then he would get a couple of slices of cake.

When the waitress came to take their orders, the others shot him some weird looks as he said that he would just take the desert later, but no comments were made about it. The conversation started revolving about small nothings, like Charlie’s job and the brothers’ fake occupation. Then Sam and Dean started to slowly interrogate the woman to see if she knew something more about the whole situation, but it turned out that she had less information than them. Gabriel followed the conversation distractedly, his attention focused on tracking down Castiel’s Grace, but without getting much information out of it.

Once they had finished with their dinner, Charlie excused herself and headed towards the bathroom, leaving the three of them alone for the first time. Dean turned immediately towards the archangel, who raised an eyebrow at him, hoping that he wasn’t going to scold him for having fondled his baby brother’s butt.

“Tell me you haven’t spent the last few hours making troubles and that you’ve got something for us,” the hunter commanded instead, looking serious and concentrated.

The archangel leant back against his chair. So it was about work. “It’s not an angel. Whatever you are hunting isn’t from Heaven. I’ve checked the whole area and my dear siblings are not around,” he answered. Then his expression darkened. “Not anymore.”

“Gabriel…” Sam started, sounding instantly worried. “Did you…?”

“Yeah, I had another little fight with some of Raphie’s minions, but it’s all fixed,” he interrupted firmly but gently. “Don’t worry, gigantor, I didn’t kill anybody. I just sent them back home.”

The younger seemed to be about to talk back, but then decided against it and nodded, laying a hand on the archangel’s shoulder and squeezing. He knew well how much the other hated fighting his family. It had been the real reason why the former Trickster had tried so hard to make them say yes. After the battle between Michael and Lucifer, no matter who would have won, there would have been peace, at least for the angels. Having Gabriel standing up against Lucifer and thus risking an even worse war had, in his opinion made up for almost everything the Trickster had done to them in the past. And now the creature was there, fighting his siblings once again, just for theirs and Castiel’s sake.

“Is it a demon?” Dean asked again, ignoring the exchange. “Or something else?”

“I have no idea, kiddo,” the Trickster said with a weird grin. “That’s your job, not mine. I’m here to keep you safe from Raphie and for the Leviathans. Nothing else.” He raised his eyebrows. “Unless you’re asking for my assistance.”

“We can manage a job by our own,” the older hunter immediately said, glaring at him. “I was just wondering if you had sensed something else.”

Gabriel’s smirk grew bigger. “Maybe,” he sang quietly, clearly amused. His fingers moved quickly to cover Sam’s hand that was still lingering on his shoulder, preventing him to pull away. He rubbed his thumb on the warm skin. “Who knows?”

“Ah, fucking Trickster,” Dean grumbled, annoyed. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” His eyes focused on the two joint hands, as to say that he wasn’t speaking just about the other’s refusal to speak what he knew.

“If I have to tell the truth, yes, I am. This entire situation is real fun.” The archangel sounded almost pleased. Then a more serious note appeared in his tone, even if his words remained playful. “But I’d like to remember you that I am no longer playing the role of Loki the Trickster. I’m back being my true fabulous angelic self. So treat me as such.”

“Fine, as you wish,” the older Winchester conceded, sarcastically. “Fucking archangel!”

Gabriel nodded satisfied, smirking once again. “That’s better.”

Dean shook his head, incredulous, but there was the hint of a smile on his lips. “So, tomorrow we’re checking the crime scenes and interrogating eventual neighbours and so on. The usual stuff. You coming with us?”

“Uhm…” The former Trickster looked pensive for some moments. Then he turned towards Sam with a new malicious grin. “What do you think, kiddo? Should I come with you?”

The latter glared at him, but then nodded, even if not without a bit of reluctance. He knew well that the other had meant to ask him if he wanted his company, but he had no intention of playing along with him. “I think it would be a good idea. Maybe you’ll be able to sense something there,” he answered, keeping his tone strictly professional. “You could be…useful.”

“Oh, so you do need me. At least, you, Sam! Your brother has already stated his opinion on the matter,” the shorter man teased, his golden eyes shining with amused delight. He squeezed the younger hunter’s fingers. “Don’t worry, Samsquatch, I’ll take care of _all_ your needs. And you’ll be satisfied, that’s a promise.”

“Fuck off, you pervert,” Sam snorted in answer, taking his hand away. “I don’t know why I’m still acting nice with you. You’re a complete asshole.”

“Because you _love_ me, kiddo. And I’m very, very happy about it,” Gabriel sang cheerfully. Then he waggled his eyebrow at the other. “Wanna see how much?”

The younger Winchester opened his mouth to spat out a harsh reply, but Dean was quicker and growled exasperate: “Oh for fuck’s sake! Stop this sickening flirting! Get a room!”

Sam stared at him incredulous, ignoring the archangel’s laugh. What the hell was his brother doing? He had the horrible feeling that the other was trying in his own and odd way to provide him a stepping stone. But of course he had to be a dick at the same time so it was coming out totally wrong.

“Dean, don’t start, please. Gabriel is enough,” he stated, annoyed and bit embarrassed too. He could take care of his love life, if it could be called like that, by his own. He had never liked it when his sibling had stepped in claiming to want to help with his crushes. It had always ended badly for him. “I’ve never said a word about the whole minutes you spend eye-fucking Cas, so I’d be glad if you didn’t help Gabriel in his jokes.” He wasn’t even sure where that had come from, but the shocked look on Dean’s face was enough to make him ignore the fact that he had been a bastard to bring up Castiel.

“When I do _what_?!” The older Winchester exploded, his voice loud enough to attract the attention of most of the people in the diner.

“Lower your voice, or you’ll have us kicked out,” Sam muttered, looking quickly around and feeling a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of the presents. “And you’ve heard me. You and Cas eye-fucking, staring at each other for endless minutes. Do you have an idea of how much uncomfortable I feel when you do that? God, I feel like a very embarrassed, unwanted intruder. And the tension that fills the air…It’s unbearable! But I’ve never said anything because I can mind my own business, something you can’t do apparently.”

Dean kept staring at him like he was insane, gaping and still a bit in shock. He had to be having some kind of fucked up dream. He couldn’t believe that his younger sibling had actually spoken those words, and especially he couldn’t believe that he really meant what he had just said. He didn’t do that thing with Castiel. It was the angel’s fault, he seemed not able to understand the meaning of personal space and he apparently liked a lot to stare at people. Well, at him in particular. But that was all. He had come to accept it because scolding the other all the time hadn’t worked. And he looked back because he hated losing staring contests.

He opened his mouth to tell his brother those things, but in that moment Charlene slipped back next to him, preventing him from speaking. “Hey guys!” She said with a forced smile. She looked nervous and her eyes wandered between the brothers, refusing to look at Gabriel. “Did I miss something interesting?”

“Just small chat,” Sam answered, happy to have a pretext to drop the argument. It was better if they pretended that it had never happened. He eyed the woman carefully, noticing her nervousness. “Are you alright, Charlie? You look worried.”

“Ah, it’s nothing, just an idiot in the bathroom…” She quickly said, waving a hand nonchalantly, but her tone didn’t sound very convincing. Then she added, to change the subject. “I was thinking that we should speak with the waitress and the barkeeper. I heard them joking about some local legends. Adding some folklore in our articles could be a good idea.”

“It was exactly what I was thinking,” Dean agreed, shooting an interested glance at the barkeeper’s legs. If he had been in the mood, he would have gladly spent some hours with her. “Which one do you want, girl?”

“You’re letting me choose? That’s nice, Dean, but I was thinking about a competition.” Charlie offered him a defiant smirk, looking confident once again. “Let’s see who the real charmer is!”

The older hunter grinned back, taking up the challenge. “I accept. But prepare to lose, ‘cause there’s no way you can beat me,” he warned getting up. “Let’s go and get a drink from that lovely hot lady, shall we?” He got an enthusiastic nod as an answer and turned towards his brother. “I’ll leave the waitress to you. You know, she seems to have a soft spot for couples.” Getting up, he gestured towards the young woman who was chatting happily with a girl and a boy seated a bit far away from them. “Good luck!”

Sam glared at him. “Yeah of course, Dean. I hope that Charlie will win. Maybe you’ll shut up then,” he mumbled unhappily. Once again he had been the one on the teasing end. He was starting to get fed up with it. “Jerk.”

“Bitch.” Dean shot back, his smirk never faltering. “See you later!”

The younger hunter waved at the two briefly, watching them heading towards the counter while whispering to each other. Then he took a deep breath and turned towards the archangel. “So…” He started, trying to sound casual. “You wanted some dessert, didn’t you?”

When the creature smiled at him in response, the younger Winchester couldn’t help thinking that it was one of the most disquieting grins he had ever seen.

“Only if we are sharing, Sammich,” Gabriel claimed firmly and immediately lifted his hand to call the waitress, not caring to hear his answer. “Excuse me, miss! Can we order?”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlene sighed as she entered her room. It was almost three in the morning and she was still tired by the journey. She had lost the challenge with Dean since the barkeeper, Jane, seemed to be into men for her bad, but she had had fun anyway, so much that she had almost forgotten about the discovery she had made earlier that night.

She locked the door and quickly grabbed her cell phone, dialling Crowley’s number. She couldn’t believe that he had hidden something so relevant from her. That hellish bastard. When she had gone to the bathroom she had left her second phone on calling mode in her purse, so that she could listen to her targets’ conversation. She had hoped that they would mention the Leviathans or some kind of information that could have been useful for her employer, but she had found out something very different.

At first they had talked about the hunt and then had moved to just teasing each other. However, just when she was about to get up and go back to the table, Dean had called Gabriel “fucking _archangel_ ”. The news had caught her off guard, but she hadn’t been shocked too much. After all she had already learned that demons and Hell existed, so it wasn’t that surprising finding out that angles and Heaven were real things too. The problem was that she was working for the Devil and for sure an archangel wouldn’t be happy to learn it.

“Hello, my dear!” Crowley’s voice came from the other side of the line, interrupting her thoughts. “What can I do…?”

“You fucking _bitch_!” She interrupted in an angry tone, not caring about the consequences of her words. “You sent me to work with an angel and you didn’t warn me?! What if Gabriel had sensed something… _hellish_ coming from you on me? Dammit! You could have got me killed!”

“Oh, so you’ve already found out. Well, you’re lucky, Charlie. There could have been two angels. Remember Castiel?” The demon chuckled, not touched by her insults and amused by her distress. “Don’t worry, I made sure that you’re clean. I would never waste such an important resource for nothing. I’m not stupid.”

“Yeah, of course,” she muttered, sounding not convinced at all. She was still pissed by the fact that her employer had kept from her such an essential information.

The King of Hell sighed. “Come on, Charlene. Don’t sulk, now. It’s not sexy at all. It was to prevent you from acting strange!” He explained, in his weirdly patient but dark tone. “Tell me, would you have been able to be as friendly as you were with the boys had I told you about Gabriel from the start?”

The young woman bit back a groan. “No,” she admitted reluctantly. “But I haven’t been able to look at him for the whole evening!”

“Did they notice?” Crowley asked, his frown clearly audible in his tone.

Charlie shook her head, even if the other couldn’t see here. “No, I don’t think so. I made up an excuse for my sudden change of mood.”

“Then you don’t have to worry about anything. Just try to act normal from now on. And, trust me, that archangel wouldn’t do anything if he found out that you are associated with me,” the demon reassured her in a non caring tone. “He isn’t the Gabriel you know from your human myths. He cares just about his own business. Like me. You should be more worried about the boys’ reactions. We aren’t exactly in good terms.”

Charlene snorted, but a small smile appeared on her lips. “Yeah, just great. And of course I don’t have to worry if Gabriel and you are similar,” she commented, her voice filled with sarcasm. “Next time, just tell me, okay? I’ve got enough acting skills to cover up for myself when I’m not caught off guard.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” Crowley shot back, his voice sounding lighter. “And as you wish. Next time I’ll warn you…If you promise me not to freak out. And, dear? Don’t call me “bitch” ever again. Even if my former job as a crossroad demon had some similarities with that kind of occupation. You see, we seal contracts by kissing.”

She raised an eyebrow, not really knowing if he was serious or if he was playing her. “You serious? Oh my, being a demon must suck at times,” she claimed making a face. “I’d never kiss someone I don’t like.”

Crowley let out a small laugh. “It’s more fun than you think. Especially when they freak out,” he explained in a delighted tone. “The more they’re reluctant the longer and the deeper I kiss them. I love it. It’s so humiliating for them. And sometimes you get to kiss some interesting people…”

“You really are a bitch!” Charlie exclaimed before she could stop herself. “Sorry!” She added immediately, even if it was clear that she didn’t mean it.

She felt relieved as she heard the shrug in her speaker’s voice as he answered: “I’ll forgive you this time. Now, I have to go, Charlie. The Leviathans are moving again. Call me soon, girl. And do not fear, you are safe. For now.”

“I already told you that I don’t trust the Devil’s word,” she talked back, but there was no trace of hostility in her voice this time. “Goodnight, Crowley.”

She hung up and threw the phone on the small desk. Then, shaking her head she walked towards the window and moved the curtains. Outside everything was dark and quiet and yet she had a bad feeling. Whatever was haunting the city was there, hidden in the shadow. She wondered if the guys could feel it too. She thought about the glance the brothers had exchanged when they had left the diner and about the tension in Dean’s posture as he had walked her to her door. Gabriel had looked quite distracted, apparently untouched by the dark presence, but he had been unusually quiet on their way back. They had to know too well.

With another quick look through the glass she closed the curtains again, making sure that the windows were locked. Maybe that wouldn’t have been enough to keep the creature out, but it made her feel safer. She stripped and put on her pyjamas, then let herself fell on the bed. As she started to drift away, she absent-mindedly thought that the two voices speaking in the corridor sounded familiar, but the unconsciousness took her before her mind could identify them.


	7. VII.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!
> 
> I want to apologise to my few readers (especially to the wonderful person who always leaves comments and to whom I'm very, very grateful). I know it's been ages, but I've got stuck in a difficult personal situation and I wasn't really motivated to write, also because I'm not really getting feedback and I was starting to doubt (still am) that it was worth to keep publishing.  
> Anyway, looks like I'm back. I'll try to keep constant updates, but I can't really promise. I'll do my best!  
> For now, enjoy! I hope it was worth the wait!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 10th 2015_

Charlie closed her eyes, focusing on the cool air that ran quickly over her. Not being able to feel the weight of her body was a very strange sensation. She absent-mindedly wondered if that was what birds experienced while flying. Birds and angels, she mentally corrected herself. Maybe even demons. She didn’t know if they could actually fly. Maybe she should ask Crowley the next time she saw him. If there would be a next time. After all she was falling off one of the highest bridges she had ever seen.

Suddenly that awareness hit her, hard and cold, waking her mind from the numbness that had enveloped it. She was _falling_ off a fucking bridge. And she would eventually crash in the freezing waters of a damned river or, if she was unlucky, on some rocks with a very nasty noise. The image of her flesh scattered everywhere in thin pieces filled her mind and she hoped that it wouldn’t be as painful as it seemed to be. She felt a pang of anger. Damned demon, he had promised her that the job would have been easy and not dangerous for her. He had said that she would be safe. But her current situation was as far as possible from her idea of safety. Never trust the Devil, that was what she had told herself from the start. However, she had lowered her guard at some point and that was the result. She would die and never know how her favourite TV shows would end. And all her efforts to create a nice life for herself, away from most of the troubles, would be vain.

She hugged herself, preparing to the inevitable. She didn’t want to die, but she was too conscious of the fact that her fall was quickly coming to an abrupt end. She heard a voice, close and far away at the same time. Were they her screams of terror? She couldn’t say if she was yelling. Her mind had shut off again, leaving her alone with the awareness of her approaching death. She tried to focus on the sounds through the hiss of the air. It wasn’t her voice. It had to be the Winchesters calling for her. It was nice to know that someone would miss her and cry for her after all. It was oddly comforting.

She tried to relax, but her limbs were stiff and hurting for the cold and the tension. She didn’t want to die feeling horror and terror. Where was the film of her life? She wished to be remembering her most fun moments and stopped thinking about the sound that her bones would make impacting on the water. It would have been nicer. After all those were the last moments of her life and she would like them to be somehow decent.

The thoughts of her favourite characters, the figures that had guided her through all her worst periods, came into her mind. She should say goodbye to them. Or maybe she should tell them that she would see them soon. Who knew what could wait her on the other side. She had been good in spite of everything, so there should be some nice surprise waiting for her. She smiled a bit. She’d like that.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

_Two days before…_

Charlie walked into the small coffee bar, stirring lightly. The motel beds weren’t exactly comfortable, but she had slept in much worse places, so she had decided that she wouldn’t complain much. She had managed her five hours of sleep, and that was enough for her standards. Especially considering the kind of task that was keeping her busy at the moment.

She looked around in the room and immediately located her three companions. She started to walk towards them, but the smile on her face faltered a bit as soon as she noticed that something in the air was off. Sam was wearing a dark frown and he kept shooting murderous looks to his brother, who showed a similar expression, but with an angrier hue. The younger hunter was wearing the same clothes from the previous evening, even if she remembered clearly that he had stained them while sharing a cake with Gabriel in the diner. She raised an eyebrow, puzzled. He didn’t seem the kind of guy who walked around in dirty clothes when he had the possibility to change. There was surely something going on. She turned her attention to the shorter man, who on the contrary seemed unaffected by the tension running between the two brothers and was happily busying himself with a huge cup of chocolate ice cream.

“Good morning, bitches!” She greeted when she reached them, pretending not to have noticed the strange atmosphere. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“Good morning, Charlie,” Sam answered her, forcing a small smile, while Dean simply raised a hand as she slipped next to him. “Don’t worry, we’ve just arrived.”

“Heya, girl!” Gabriel grinned, his eyes shining with weird satisfaction. “Don’t mind the kids, they’re in a bad mood today. But they’ll stop sulking eventually, don’t worry.”

She called the waiter to order her breakfast and then turned again towards her companions. “What happened, guys? Problems with the room?” She asked, not being able to help her curiosity.

“No, Charlie. Nothing like that. It’s stupid, you don’t need to…” The younger Winchester started to say, but his brother interrupted it abruptly.

“He drew the girliest graffiti you can imagine on my _car_!” the older hunter claimed in a dark tone, his green eyes almost burning with indignation. “On my _Baby_! I’ll never forgive him for that. She’s _embarrassing_ now! Do you have an idea of how much time it will take me to clean all that mess?!”

“He’s exaggerating. I just drew some small flowers. But everything that happens to his car is a tragedy!” Sam said snorting and rolling his eyes. He glared at his sibling. “Besides, he started it. I asked him to wash my clothes yesterday and when I went to pick them up this morning they were _pink_. All of them!”

“I told you I didn’t do it on purpose! I must have messed up with the soap!” Dean exclaimed, exasperated in turn. “You had no right to attack my Baby!”

The younger Winchester’s frown deepened even more. “You asked for it, Dean,” he stated firmly. “Now deal with the consequences!”

They kept staring murderously at each other for a while, making the tension around the table become even heavier. In the end, the older hunter got up and left, muttering something about having to return his car to its original look, and the younger followed soon after, saying that he needed to get some clean and not pink clothes.

Charlie avoided any kind of comment even if she had to try very hard not to laugh. The two were grown men, monsters hunters, and still they played pranks on each other as if they were young boys. She smiled at the thought shaking her head. She could understand what was behind it, even if they were now so much upset with each other.

Gabriel’s loud laugh brought her back to the present. She realised that she had been left alone with the archangel, which was not exactly good, but she found herself to be more interested in why he was so amused than worried about him blowing her cover.

“Gabriel?” She questioned cautiously, raising an eyebrow at him. “What’s up?”

“Oh, come on, Charlie! Have you seen them?” the former Trickster chuckled maliciously. “They’re simply _hilarious_. Messing with them is always so much fun! I love it.”

She stared at him for a moment, then realisation dawned on her. “Wait a sec! It was _you_!” She exclaimed incredulous. “You dyed Sam’s clothes pink. To make them start a prank war?!”

Gabriel nodded solemnly, looking absolutely pleased with himself. “Yeah. And I turned Sammy’s small sketch on the car door in a huge graffiti that runs on the whole bodywork.”

“You sneaky bastard!” She said before she could stop herself. She was starting to see what Crowley had meant when he had stated that Gabriel wasn’t like one could imagine due to the folklore. She would have never imagined that a divine being could enjoy playing such stupid pranks. Or, as a matter of fact, molesting someone as he did with Sam. And she was sure that he wasn’t acting. He was enjoying the whole thing too much to be faking his amusement. “They’ll kill you when they find out.”

“I’m actually looking forward to that. But it will take them some time and I’m planning to go on pulling pranks on them in the meanwhile. I’ve done something similar before, a long time ago, when we had just met. Ah, those were good times!” Gabriel answered nodding and letting out a small sigh. He looked up at the ceiling, a melancholic look on his face. He missed his days as a Trickster, in spite of everything. He missed to be free from responsibilities. “You see, girl, this detective thing is the boys’ job, not mine. I’m just tagging along in case they need some help. And it’s boring for me. I’m used to the happy life, if you see what I mean, and their lifestyle is completely different from my old one. I still need to adjust.”

“Why are you staying with them, then? You could just come when they call you for help or something,” the young woman pointed out. Once again, she couldn’t help her curiosity, even if a small voice in her head was warning her not to push it too far. “Are you staying for Sam?”

The archangel smirked, but there was no malice in his eyes this time. “It’s not that easy. And, well, Sammy is a good incentive to stay, but he’s not my main reason. If it was just him I’d probably do as you suggested. The truth is that I’m doing a favour to my little brother. He’s Dean’s best pal and he cares very much about him and Sam. He’s usually the one to be around, but he had to leave…by reasons of force majeure.” His accent modelled on the French words, sounding as natural as if they were from his mother language as well. “I haven’t been a good big brother in the past. I’ve many things to make up to Cas, so I’m watching over the boys for him.”

“I understand. I know what it means, disappointing your family,” she mumbled absent-mindedly, offering him a sad smile. For a moment a shadow ran on her face, but she chased the gloomy thoughts of her past away quickly. “Cas?” She repeated instead.

“Castiel, my brother,” the former Trickster complied, shrugging. He didn’t question her words, letting her have her privacy. “We have odd names in our family.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Charlie nodded. Angels’ names were indeed weird, she was tempted to say, but she managed to refrain herself. Instead she gestured towards the door. “Shouldn’t you check the fighting brothers before they slit each other’s throat?”

“Right. After all watching over them is my job now. And maybe I’ll even manage to catch Sammy while he’s changing,” Gabriel agreed with a new grin, licking away the last bites of ice cream from his spoon. “What will you do today?”

“I guess I’ll go around and talk with the residents, see if I can gather some information about the accidents,” she lied casually waving her hand. In truth she would have to find a safe and efficient way to stalk the Winchesters. “I must work too.”

“I think the boys will do the same. Call us if you need help or if you find something interesting. I’ll have Sammy and Deano do the same.” The archangel got up and left some cash on the table. “It should cover your breakfast too. Take the change if there’s some. It’s all on Dean!” He winked her. “Have a nice day, girl. See ya tonight.”

“Thanks, Gabe. You too.”

She watched him leave the bar and then went back to her cappuccino. She had better finish her breakfast quickly if she wanted to tail her new favourite trio. Crowley had told her that following them on the case was the best way to find out what their future plans were.

She pulled out the phone the demon and given her and checked the screen. The previous evening she had hacked Dean’s phone while he was busy flirting with the barkeeper and now she was able to locate him wherever he went. She had planned to do the same with Sam’s but Gabriel had never left the younger hunter alone, not giving her a chance to. It wasn’t a bad thing, in retrospect. If the brothers split it was more likely that the archangel would go with the younger and so she could have approached Dean while he was alone. She was sure that the elder liked her better than his brother, since they were more similar. Maybe she could exploit that to gain his trust and make him slip something useful. She frowned at the thought, but shook her head. She didn’t like that kind of plan, especially since she really liked the three, but she didn’t have many alternatives considering who her employer was.

With a sigh she finished her hot drink and stuffed the last piece of her croissant in her mouth, then she got up and headed for the door, waving goodbye at the waiter and receiving a warm smile in response. She looked down at the figurine of Hermione that was watching her from its place in one of the small inner pockets of her bag. “Time to get to work, H,” she claimed solemnly. “Let’s show them what very smart girls can do!”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Dean shot the umpteenth worried look at his car before locking it and following Sam, who seemed to have found some decent, non-pink clothes, towards the newest accident scene. The police had just left and the crowd of onlookers who had been watching the ambulance carrying away the corpse was starting to disperse. The older hunter grumbled a curse under his breath. Luckily his brother hadn’t used real paint to draw his stupid flowers on the bodywork or it would have taken him a lifetime to clean it, but it had still been very annoying. He knew it wasn’t the right time for a prank war, not with all the shit they needed to take care of, but his sibling couldn’t get away so easily with what he had done to his Baby. He would get his revenge soon.

When he finally joined him, Sam was talking with an old woman, probably one of the victim’s neighbours. She looked quite shocked by what had happened and her hands clenched tightly at the shawl she wore on her shoulders.

“He was such a good man. He always helped me with the shopping. And he was so young,” she was saying, her voice shaking lightly. “Poor Joseph. He was an economics student. And he was very good…Oh, Marianne! She’ll be devastated!”

“I’m really sorry for her neighbour, Mrs Evans. If I’m not too indiscreet…Who’s Marianne?” The younger hunter asked in a calm tone. “Joseph’s girlfriend?”

“Oh, no, no. She’s his older sister,” the woman corrected shaking her head. “He didn’t have a girlfriend, even if he was such a good-looking boy. He was too focused on his studies. He always joked about not wanting that kind of distraction.”

Sam nodded, pretending to be scribbling some notes on his notebook. “I see. Thank you very much, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome, my boy. I’m glad to hear that there is someone interested in this awful affair.” She lowered her voice and stepped closer to him, as if she was about to reveal a secret, her skinny hand gripping at his arms. “I’ll tell you something, since you’ve been so nice. When I was a child, my mother used to tell me some stories about the times when this town didn’t exist yet. She told me that once every three hundred years an ancient spirit ravaged these lands. It took away many lives before being satisfied and all his victims died in strange accidents, as it is happening now.” She took a step back and resumed her previous posture. “Of course, it’s just folklore. But I’ve lived long enough to know that behind every legend there’s a bit of truth.”

“I totally agree,” Sam nodded, looking pensive for a moment. Then he shook the woman’s hand. “That was very interesting. Thank you again for sharing it with me.”

“Don’t mention it. And be careful,” she answered before turning around and walking away.

Dean shot her a weird look and then focused his attention on his brother. “An ancient spirit? What, some reaper gone rogue?” He commented, sceptically. “I think that our friend Mrs Evans is a bit out of her mind.”

“Don’t be rude, Dean. I think she could be right. It sounds like some sort of cycle to me. Ritual killings maybe,” the younger Winchester pointed out, glaring at him. “It could be some pagan god. We’ve hunted plenty of them.”

“Yeah, I remember them. Like the scarecrow or those two Christmas freaks,” the elder snorted, frowning at the memories. Every time they had been forced to deal with some kind of deities they had always found a way out by the skin of their teeth, once almost literally, and he didn’t like the idea of having to do that again. In his eyes, the only things worse than pagans were witches. “Not to mention our favourite pocket-sized Trickster and his pagan friends.”

“Yeah…” Sam sighed, sharing his brother’s thoughts. Nasty hunts those ones. “Speaking of that happy reunion…Where’s Gabriel?”

Dean scoffed, crossing his arms. “Why are you asking _me_? He’s always around you. And he was helping you with your clothes before we came here. But now I understand why the ride has been so quiet. No freaking Trickster there to fuck with my head.”

“You were the last one to speak to him,” the younger hunter protested. He ran a hand in his hair. He really hoped that the archangel wasn’t around causing troubles. “He must have left while we were driving.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he is _your_ angel,” the other Winchester stated matter-of-factly.

Sam rolled his eyes at that, but didn’t comment. He wasn’t giving his brother a reason to start that discussion again. He had had enough of his crap the day before. “Let’s go in the backyard. There should be a door,” he said instead. “It’s safer if we enter from there.”

Dean nodded, looking happy in turn to be able to let the subject go. “Yeah, let’s go. We should hurry before they send someone to clean up the mess.”

They walked along the pavement side by side, reaching the end of the street before turning around the corner and going back following a parallel road. They found a house with all the shutters closed and crossed its garden, carefully looking around for eventual witnesses. They moved through the backyards until they reached Joseph’s one and, once there, the elder extracted his lock-picking set from his jacket.

“What happened to this guy?” He asked as he inserted the tool in the lock and started working on it. “What was his name again?”

“Joseph Brooks,” Sam answered, keeping an eye on the surroundings. “He fell and hit his head against the corner of the kitchen isle. The neighbour said that he died on the spot, or so she was been told. Like the other victims.”

“Well, let’s see if there’s something strange on the scene then. If it’s a spirit it should have left a trace,” his sibling said. Then he cursed. “What’s wrong with this damned lock? I can’t…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence because in that moment the door opened, leaving them frozen in surprised. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at them. He was wearing a dark grey coverall that looked awfully like the one he used to wear while playing the role of the janitor in Ohio and his hands were covered by a pair of latex gloves.

“Took you long enough. Come on, don’t just stand there,” the creature commented, stepping aside to let them in. “I was starting to think that you’d got lost.”

“We were waiting for the police to leave,” the younger hunter answered, still a bit surprised by the other’s presence. “Where have you been? And why are you dressed like that?”

The archangel smirked and pointed the ID that was clamped on the front of his coverall. “Crime scene cleaner,” he said proudly, looking quite amused. “One of the two workers who should have been on duty has suddenly fallen ill an hour ago and they had to bring him to the hospital. By chance, I was walking there when it had happened and, always by chance, I had the right credentials to take his place just for this job. Of course, it has taken a bit of persuasion, but that has never been a problem for me.”

Sam glared at him hard. “What have you done to that poor man?” He questioned, accusingly. He knew too well what nasty consequences the former Trickster’s pranks could have. He had assumed that the other would have stopped his Loki tricks now that he was working on their side, but apparently he had been wrong. He felt a pang of disappointment at that. He shouldn’t have been so stupid to make such an assumption.

“Food poisoning. He’ll live, even if he’ll have to be very careful with his diet from now on,” the shorter man answered with a shrug. He puffed at the frown that the younger Winchester was still giving him. “Oh, come on! He poisoned all his neighbours’ cats!”

Dean snorted at that, but didn’t speak and walked towards the kitchen instead, immediately followed by the archangel, who apparently thought that the matter was already solved. The younger Winchester rolled his eyes and went after them, shaking his head in disbelief. Dying and being brought back to life hadn’t really changed Gabriel after all. And he wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not about it.

“That’s where the guy hit his head,” the former Trickster explained, as soon as they were all in the kitchen, pointing the bloody marble of the isle corner. The body had been removed but the pool of blood on the floor was still fresh. “I heard the police say that he’s slipped and _crack!,_ he’s crashed his head against this thing. He was dead before he hit the floor.” He paced around the blood stopping a meter away from it. “There’s something that could interest you. The guy’s slippers soles were wet. That’s why he fell. But there’s no water neither on the house floors nor outside. I checked. And, if there was, it magically…disappeared.”

“So someone made him slip,” Sam mumbled pensively, crouching down to study the pool of blood. He looked up at the archangel. “Thanks, Gabriel.”

“It’s fine, kiddo,” the latter said, waving a hand and making a snack appear out of nowhere. “Do your job, I’ll be in the living room. Call me when you’re done. Oh, and don’t mind the man in the hall. That’s Art, my colleague for the day.” He met the younger hunter’s once again incredulous gaze. “Don’t look at me like that. I had to get rid of him somehow. And he’s not dead. He’s just taking a nap.”

Dean let out another snort, watching the creature leaving the room. “He never changes, does he? Anyway, I’ll check the first floor,” he announced pulling out his EMF meter. He nodded his head towards corridor. “Keep an eye on that Trickster, Sammy. He’s being too nice with us and I have a bad feeling about it.”

Sam nodded getting up and extracted his own device. He checked firstly the area in which Joseph had died and then went slowly through the whole kitchen. The instrument revealed some traces of electromagnetic fields, but nothing really relevant. The values were just a bit higher than they should have been, which meant that _something_ had been there, but it wasn’t enough to say what. It wasn’t a spirit, at least not one of the kinds they usually hunted.

He lowered his meter with a frown. It wouldn’t help them finding out what was behind those accidents. The only lead they had at the moment was Mrs Evans’s legend. He mentally took note to look into it once they would be back at the hotel, even if he didn’t expect to find anything. He had already checked the local folklore and there was no mention of that story. It had to be something that had been passed on orally and that had almost gone lost during the years.

He left the kitchen to check the corridor, working more quickly that he usually did, stopping for a moment to spare a look at the small toilet and at the storage room. He tried to avoid looking at the middle-aged man who was sleeping soundly on the hall floor, drooling on the tiles with the most peaceful expression he had ever seen, and then walked in the large living room. Gabriel was there, sprawled on his back on the leather couch, busying himself with a huge jellyroll.

“Did you find anything?” The former Trickster asked in a bored tone, as the hunter approached him to check the documents that were piled up on the small coffee table.

“Don’t ask rhetorical questions, Gabriel,” Sam scolded a bit harshly, sparing him a brief disapproving glance. The other hadn’t lied when he had said that he wasn’t there to help them with their job. Apparently he just liked watching them struggling while they look for an answer. “You know I haven’t.”

“Sorry, gigantor,” the archangel said, clearly not touched by his sharp tone and definitely not meaning his apologies. “I was just trying to make some conversation.” He licked the jam off his fingers. “Want a bite?”

“No thanks. I care about what I eat, I’m not Dean,” the younger hunter replied without looking away from the papers he was holding. “And I like it better when you shut up.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit offended by how he was being treated. He was even trying to be nice. “Still in a bad mood, uh? Fine, go on being all grumpy if you want. But at least sit down. You’ve already understood that your stupid tool is useless in this case.”

“And? What am I supposed to do? Just sitting with you until this thing stops killing for other three hundred years?” Sam talked back a bit irritated, but sat down on the sofa as he was told. “There must be something that can help us to understand what’s going on.”

“Well, if you want my opinion, I wouldn’t mind having you sitting next to me for the next two or three weeks. But I guess that neither you nor your brother would be happy with that,” the archangel claimed with a small knowing smirk. Then he snapped his fingers and Sam’s laptop appeared on his owner’s tights. “Go on and do your nerdy tricks, Sammy.”

The younger Winchester shook his head, but this time there was a smile on his face. Gabriel could be a real pain in the ass, but he appreciated the small things that the creature had started to do for him from time to time. Not that he was going to admit it out aloud. If he had, he would have never heard the end of it.

He lifted the screen of the computer and typed his password, ready to lower his fingers on the keys, but he stopped half way as he saw that the browser was already opened on a specific research. “Greek mythology?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow in the former Trickster’s direction. “So you _do_ know what we’re hunting.”

“Let’s say I may have an idea. I’m not completely sure because I haven’t seen her yet, but I recognised the aura,” the archangel answered calmly, taking another bite of his snack. “Besides, the location is a bit strange. Last time I met one of them I was in Germany, during World War II. Nasty creature. She almost attacked me.”

“I don’t want to know what you were doing there,” the hunter stated, lifting his eyes, but then he focused his attention once again on the screen. “Are they deities?”

Gabriel lazily drew some strange symbols on the dark leather with his sticky fingers. “Not exactly. They are demigods, _daimons_ to be more specific. But I’m not telling you anything else. I don’t want to spoil your fun.”

“I think it’s more yours than mine,” Sam pointed out, but there was an amused note in his tone. He was starting to realise didn’t mind Gabriel’s games when they turned out to be harmless. “But I got enough information, so I can work on my own. Greek demigods, females, associated with death. And battlefields, since you mentioned the World War. The Greek pantheon is vast, but I think I can manage.”

“That’s why you are the smart brother,” the archangel praised, nodding in approval. He got in a seated position and moved closer to him to be able to look at the screen. “Let’s see how much it will take you to find the answer,” he added then, his lips turning up again in a weird smile. “If you succeed before your brother comes down, I’ll cook lunch for you and Dean. _Real_ cooking this time. And before you ask, yeah, I can cook. I’m just too lazy to do it.”

The hunter stared suspiciously at him for some seconds. He knew that he shouldn’t accept a challenge from the other, but the chance of wiping away that smirk from his face was far too tempting. And Dean would have agreed with him. “Fine. And what if I lose?”

“You’ll dine with me alone tonight. In your motel room.” The former Trickster’s grin widened even more at his puzzled expression. “Take or leave, Sammy. Clock’s ticking.”

“I’ll regret this, but fine. Deal,” the younger Winchester mumbled with just a moment of hesitation. Then he went straight back to his research, without sparing another glance at the creature, fingers keying quickly. He forced himself to ignore the chuckle that followed his agreeing and also the weight of Gabriel’s head resting on his shoulder a few minutes later, chin digging in his flesh. He wouldn’t allow the other to distract him. He needed some payback for all the embarrassing things he had been forced to bear the previous day. And having the Trickster losing his own bet seemed like a good start.

When Dean came downstairs twenty minutes later, he found the two still in the same position. Sam was bent over his laptop, going through the paragraph of his last research, while Gabriel was still curled up against his side, his elbow resting on the human’s shoulder, enjoying a colourful lollipop. The elder hunter raised an eyebrow at the scene and walked towards them, clearing his throat loudly to announce his presence. He still hadn’t figured out if the archangel was really that clingy or if it was just part of his plan to annoy the Hell out of his brother.

At the sound, the former Trickster’s head immediately shot up, a look of pure delight blossoming on his face, but before he could open his mouth the younger Winchester pointed at the screen of his laptop and exclaimed triumphant: “ _Keres_!”

Gabriel let out a disappointed whine, his expression falling immediately, while Dean looked at his brother as if he had gone mad. “ _What_?” he exclaimed, confused, his green eyes moving between the pair. “What the hell was that, Sam?”

“We’re dealing with a Ker, Dean. A Greek demigod of death. They share some similarities with the Valkyries of the Norse pantheon,” Sam explained with a huge grin. No one could beat him when it came to researches. The archangel should have expected it and avoided to give him so much information. Not that he was complaining. He knew that losing would have brought him some unwanted surprise, so it was better that way. Satisfied, he turned towards the sulking Trickster. “Aren’t we, _Gabe_?”

“You’re enjoying this too much, Sammy. We don’t want you to become too full of yourself, do we? I’m just cooking lunch,” Gabriel snorted sarcastically, not even trying to hide how disappointed he was by the result of his little game, but then nodded. “Yeah, it’s a Ker. Anaplekte, if I can hazard a guess. She’s specialised in quick, painful deaths.”

“Wait a second, you two,” the older Winchester interrupted, still puzzled. He had the distinctive feeling to be missing the main core of the situation. “What does the Trickster cooking lunch have to do with this Ana…Whatever her name is?”

“Anaplekte,” Sam filled, patiently. He was used to his brother being unable to pronounce every non-English word that wasn’t part of an exorcism ritual. Then his tone took once again a satisfied hue. “We made a bet. If I was able to find out what we were hunting before you joined us, he’d have cooked our lunch without using his powers.”

Dean nodded, impressed. “Wow, Sammy. You won against the Trickster. I should give you more credit,” he commented, shooting the shorter man an amused look. “And what if you lost?”

“He’d have had to dine with me in your room,” Gabriel answered before the younger Winchester could. Sam might have won the bet, but that didn’t mean that he was giving up on getting his small part of fun anyway. “Without you, Deano, in the way.”

“What, were you planning to ask me to sleep in Charlie’s room?” The older hunter questioned, his expression turning into a frown. “Because the answer would have been no.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. I can be very persuasive. Or I could have just sent you somewhere far away until I was finished,” the former Trickster talked back, holding his threatening gaze without effort, eyes shining lightly. “You should have learnt by now what I’m capable of, don’t you agree?”

“Wait a moment. We agreed on a dinner and nothing else!” Sam interjected, glaring at the archangel in turn. There was the trick he should have been expecting. And of course it had to come out in front of his brother. The archangel had to have all planned, both if he won or if he lost the bet. “Why would have you needed Dean to sleep somewhere else?”

The Trickster smirked suggestively, raising both his eyebrows at the younger Winchester. “I’m afraid that we’ve a different idea of what “dinner” implies, Sam. You should see what I do with my fake girls while I eat.”

“Feel free _not_ to have this conversation while I’m here,” the older hunter interjected with a groan, before Gabriel could throw himself in some very detailed description of what he and Sam would have done had he won the bet. He ran a hand on his face. “I don’t want to hear it.” The, without waiting for an answer, he exploited the brief moment of silence to change the subject. “So, how do we kill this…Ker?”

At that both the brothers turned towards Gabriel, who had started to lick his lollipop again. The latter raised an eyebrow again, pretending not to have understood the meaning of their looks. “What’s up now, kids? Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?” He asked in a completely innocent tone. “If I do, it’s Sammy’s fault!”

“Gabriel, we have no time for your games now,” Sam claimed firmly, ignoring the umpteenth innuendo and trying to hide the lingering feeling of embarrassment in his guts. “We need to do something before someone else gets hurt. How do we kill Anaplekte?”

“I haven’t got the faintest idea.” The archangel replied matter-of-factly, shrugging. “You’re the hunters, you should be the experts. I’ve never gone around killing my pagan fellows.” He frowned slightly. “Well…There have been a couple of exception, but they don’t count. It wasn’t my fault, they asked for it.”

“But you’re a fucking _archangel_! And you’ve been around those freaks for literal _centuries_!” Dean protested incredulous. He felt the anger suddenly starting to boil inside his chest. He hated how indifferent Gabriel looked in that moment. It was clear that he didn’t care the slightest if other innocent people died. Everything was fine for him as long as he had his fun and the chance to mess up with them. “You should know something.”

The shorter man sighed in annoyance. “Don’t get all worked up, Deano. Listen, I’m not lying. I really don’t know. I never asked myself this question before today, alright?” He talked back, rolling his eyes. What did that human want from him? Dean had made clear that he didn’t want his help, so now he had no rights to get upset with him. “The Keres are pagan demons, so maybe my blade or your demon-killing knife could work on them. But they’re spirit-like creatures and I don’t know how to evoke or trap them. That’s all I can give you. I’ve done my part, even after you’ve told me to stay out of your way. Now it’s up to you.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! You are _useless_!” The older hunter exploded, exasperated. He didn’t care if he had refused the archangel’s help before. Now he was giving him a chance to prove them that he wasn’t just an asshole, but apparently the other had no intention of exploiting it. Maybe because he had nothing to prove. “Can you for once stop being a son of a bitch and do something good with your life? You should, since you claim to be on our side. If Cas was here, he’d have at least…” He stopped abruptly, realizing what he had been about to say. He opened his mouth to amend, but no words came out of it. So he just growled and clenched his fists, before exclaiming: “Ah, go fuck yourself, Gabriel!” And without waiting for an answer, he stormed out of the house.

“Dean!” Sam called, jumping on his feet to run after his brother, but before he could reach the corridor the rumble of the Impala leaving at full speed came from outside and he understood that he could do nothing but giving up.

He ran a hand in his hair and sighed. His sibling was really a complete idiot sometimes. And now it was even more obvious that he still wasn’t cool with Castiel wandering off. He found himself wishing once again that the angel hadn’t decided to disappear in a crazy research for only-God-knew-what. Not in that moment, not when they all needed to work out their issues with each other. Besides, Dean always got a little restless when their friend was away. And he couldn’t blame his brother that time. He was worried too, considering what Castiel was risking walking around alone, struggling with his fading Grace.

“He’ll be fine, Sam, and you know it,” Gabriel’s voice came from behind him and the archangel’s hand found his arm. The former Trickster hadn’t taken too well the words that the older Winchester had shouted him before telling him to go to hell, but he had done his best to shrug them off. He knew already how bad he was at being one of the good guys, he didn’t need a human to remind him that. “Just give him some time to calm down.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re right,” Sam muttered with a sigh, turning towards his speaker. He noticed the slightly darker expression on the other’s face, but he didn’t question him, his instinct telling him that it wasn’t a good idea. “Come on, we should leave as well before someone comes and starts asking embarrassing questions,” he said instead, nodding towards the front door. His eyes fell on the sleeping man at their feet. He had completely forgotten about that detail. “Uh…What about him?”

The archangel snapped his fingers. “The scene is clean. I erased all your fingerprints too,” he claimed in a nonchalant tone. “And poor Art will wake up in ten minutes with a headache and the memory of having done the job.”

The younger hunter tried not to look impressed, but he failed almost completely. Gabriel was definitely everything but useless as Dean had stated. He just had a weird way to help, one that his brother couldn’t understand. “Good. And thanks,” he said after a moment, instinctively looking around. “Let’s go then. Walk with me to the hotel?”

Gabriel opened his arms a bit and followed him out of the front door, leaping over the man’s body. “If you really don’t want to fly there…Fine. But only because you asked it nicely.”

Sam smiled a bit at that. “Don’t be lazy now,” he teased in a light tone. “Along the way we’ll stop to the supermarket and buy what you need to cook. I’m sure that Dean will be hungry when he comes back.”

The former Trickster gave him a weird look. “You’re making me buy the ingredients? And then what, are you going to ask to the motel owner if we can borrow his kitchen too?”

The younger hunter scoffed, rolling his eyes, but there was no real annoyance in his voice. “Of course I am. And you’re helping me persuading him, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. As if I had another choice. I hate you, Sam.”

“No, you like me. Your words.”

“Touché, kiddo.”

The hunter shook his head and the archangel let out a small chuckle as they walked down the road side by side. Sam breathed in the cool air and looked up at the shining sun. He had missed those kinds of hunts, without having to constantly worry about any greater evil. Everything seemed easier, even if he was still painfully aware of Castiel’s situation and of the threat that Raphael and the Leviathans were to them and to humanity. But in that moment, listening to Gabriel’s cheerful chattering, he felt allowed to forget about it, even if just for a while.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Dean drove for a long time, hours maybe, but he couldn’t have stated it without any doubts. He was paying little attention to where he was going, his mind occupied only by an angry feeling and the sense of loss. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything he and Castiel had faced together during the years of their friendship and, especially, he couldn’t chase away the images of when the angel had broken the wall in Sam’s mind, revealing his betrayal. Something had shattered into pieces inside him too in that moment, something precious and already cracked, and he wasn’t sure that he would ever get it back.

The memory of how lost and hurt and vulnerable he had felt made him even angrier. He had always been careful not to trust anyone completely after his father’s death, not even Sam. He knew what was hidden in the shadow and in the human heart. The Evil was everywhere, he had grown up with that certainty and he had seen it confirmed every day. And yet he had ended up opening himself to a creature who should have been one of his enemies but who, against every expectation, had stood up for their cause, accepting the awful consequences of that choice. And all just for _him_. He didn’t know if it was because Castiel was from Heaven, but he had never imagined that such a deep devotion could be possible. And, moreover, he had never thought that he could deserve it, let alone from an angel of the Lord. Even now, after all the hurt and the betrayal, he still didn’t feel worthy of the absolute trust that still shone in Castiel’s broken eyes.

He pulled over abruptly in a sudden fit of irritation and stopped the car on the road edge. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. What the hell was he doing? He should be hunting a damned Greek demigod, looking for a way to free the Earth from a bunch of creatures from Purgatory, not angsting on his best friend’s betrayal. He had to go back to the motel and help his brother with the research. And maybe ask Charlie out for a couple beers that evening. And kick Gabriel’s feathery ass for being a jerk. That was what he should do. Instead he crossed his arms on the wheel and rested his forehead against them, eyes shut. He would do his job. He would act as he was expected to. He just needed a moment to break before putting himself back together. For now he still had enough time to allow himself to.

When he finally started the engine again and found his back way to the motel the sky was already darkening. He switched the radio on this time, allowing the music to wash away all the gloomy thoughts that had washed over him. He felt calmer now, even if he was still far from being fine. He wouldn’t be until he knew that everyone he cared about were safe and sound, including that idiot in a trench coat who was the cause of the mess they were in.

The room was quiet when he entered it. Sam was sat at the small table in front of his laptop, surrounded by books from the local library. Gabriel was sprawled on the younger man’s bed, eyes closed and lying perfectly still. Dean raised an eyebrow seeing the archangel like that, but then turned again towards his brother.

“Hey, Dean,” the younger Winchester greeted, looking away from the screen. He studied him for some seconds. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I just needed some time alone,” he answered, shrugging, and he wondered if he was lying or not. He couldn’t really tell. Feeling the sudden need to change the subject before the other could ask more questions, he gestured in archangel’s direction. “What the hell is he doing? I thought that angels didn’t sleep.”

“I don’t think he is actually sleeping,” Sam answered, but he sounded puzzled in turn. “It must be some kind of meditation or similar. Two hours ago he told me that there was something he needed to do, but instead of leaving he laid down. He hasn’t moved since then.” He shrugged in turn and pointed a plate among the books. “He made something to eat for you too. We didn’t know when you weren’t coming back, so it’s a cold dish. Oh, and there’s some home-made pie on your nightstand. We thought you might appreciate it.”

“Freaky angelic things,” the older hunter commented shaking his head, but his eyes wandered towards where the sweet was. “I don’t want to know. But he made me pie, so I guess I have to give him the benefit of doubt.” He approached the table and grabbed the plate of cold pasta, sitting down opposite to his sibling. “Have you found anything?”

The younger Winchester shook his head. “No. I’ve found a lot about Valkyries, but the Keres aren’t so well known. And of course nobody has ever thought about killing one,” he answered, sounding a bit irritated. He had spent all afternoon digging around but he was still mostly empty-handed. “I went through Dad’s journal too, but I found nothing. That’s why I borrowed those books from the library. They’re on Greek mythology. Maybe there’s something in there that I can’t find on the web. I called Bobby, he said he’d look into it too.”

“Good job, Sammy. We’ll find a way to stop the bastard, we always do.” Dean nodded with determination, reaching out to pat his brother’s shoulder. “If we manage to find her, we can give a try to the Trickster’s idea and stab her with his blade. Those archangel things seemed to be able to kill almost everything.”

Then he leant back again and stuffed a forkful of food in his mouth. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was until that moment. As soon as he started to chew his eyes went wide and he almost immediately moaned around it, as the fresh flavour exploded in his. “Oh _fuck_! This stuff is awfully _good_!” He exclaimed astonished, looking down at his plate incredulous. “That son of a bitch can _really_ cook!”

“Yeah, I had the same reaction. More or less,” Sam laughed, amused by his sibling’s ecstatic expression. “I didn’t expect his cooking to be so, allow me the wordplay, _heavenly_. We should totally make him cook for us more often. And the dessert is even better. After all, Gabriel has a sweet tooth, it’s not a secret.”

The elder said something incomprehensible with his mouth full of pasta and went on devouring the whole dish with gusto until the ceramic was perfectly clean. After that, he immediately reached for the pie, cutting down a huge slice and forcing Sam to have one as well, despite the other’s protests. No one could fight the older hunter when it came to pie.

They sat around the table in a comfortable silence, disturbed only by Dean’s groans of pleasure, enjoying the delicate sweet taste, and the younger Winchester had to put all his self-control not to joke about the fact that his brother was sounding like he was having sex with his dessert. The tension that had hung between them since the morning had completely dissipated.

“I wanted to tell you that we should leave a slice of this awesomeness for Charlie, but I’m no longer sure that I want to share it,” the older Winchester claimed in the end, licking his fork clean. “Unless you find a way to persuade our favourite archangel to make another one.”

“Since when Gabriel is _ours_? You’ve always said that he’s _my_ archangel,” Sam teased with a smirk. “Dean, you are far too easy to corrupt! We just need to give you some pie.”

“You’re wrong. You need to give me some _very_ _good_ pie, Sammy, and I’ll do almost whatever you want. The way to my heart is through my stomach,” Dean corrected, getting himself another slice and offering his brother a sarcastic grin in return. “But that’s a secret, so please keep it for yourself. Unless you want demons and monsters to start coming to us with sweets to persuade me to let them live.”

The younger hunter shook his head, lifting his eyes. “Of course. I’d be delighted to get poisoned pies every time we go on a hunt!” He scoffed in a light tone. Then he straightened himself and opened his laptop again. “Help me with these books?”

“That’s your kind of stuff, but since that pie has put me in a very good mood I’ll lend you a hand. Just this time,” Dean claimed with a theatrical sigh, grabbing the nearest book. “But if it’s too boring I’ll leave them to you and I’ll take a nap. Oh, by the way, Charlie phoned me earlier. I’m meeting her at ten.”

“Alright, I’ll keep on doing the research while you’re out. As always,” Sam nodded, his eyes moving away from the screen of his computer for a moment. He sighed in turn, looking at the volumes. “This will keep me up all night.”

Dean smirked. “My condolences, Sammy. That’s the price for being a nerd.”

“Shut up and get to work. _Jerk_.”

“You first. _Bitch_.”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

The following day brought the Winchesters no news. They visited the old crime scenes, but the places had already been cleaned and so there were no clues left for them. The EMF meters proved themselves to be useless once again and so did all the books that Sam had managed to find. Bobby called them back in the late morning, but he hadn’t got anything either.

Gabriel had refused to tell them more about Anaplekte and the brothers still didn’t know if it was because he was hiding something from them or if he was being sincere and really didn’t know anything else on the subject. Besides, after waking of from his “meditation”, the archangel had spent little time with them, mumbling something about needing to stop Raphael’s newest plan for world domination. Dean had even tried to chat casually with Charlie about the whole business, but she hadn’t managed to find anything more than them.

The young woman, from her part, saw all her attempts to make the older hunter talk about their future plans being in vain. He had a huge amount of self-control even when he was wasted. He had let out something about a civil war in Heaven and about the fact that his angelic best friend was a huge, _cute_ asshole, but nothing really relevant, even if she had found Dean’s choice of words on the second subject quite interesting.

Crowley had phoned her at night after she had come back to the motel with Dean and for the second time she had had to tell him that she had no news. The demon hadn’t been happy about it, but he had seemed to take some more interest when she had mentioned what the brothers were hunting. Apparently he didn’t really known what he had sent them to hunt down. Charlene had tried to exploit that to get some more information on the creature, but the King of Hell had quickly changed the subject and she had found herself listening to the tale of the last deals he had made. It was clear that her employer had no intention to help them against the Ker. On the contrary, the Winchesters’ struggle to find a way to kill it seemed to amuse him.

 

On the morning of her fourth day in Mountain Pine, Charlie was awakened by the sound of her second phone ringing insistently. With a groan, she grabbed it and looked at the screen. It was seven thirty and apparently the Winchesters were leaving the building. She sighed, forcing herself out of the bed. No time for breakfast or showering. She needed to grab some clothes and follow them quickly. She ran a hand in her messy hair. She should really ask Crowley to refund her for the moral damages she was bearing while working for him.

Ten minutes later she was on the road, driving her rented car a bit behind the Impala. She needed to keep some distance not to be noticed, but she couldn’t stay too far. The signal of Dean’s phone had been faltering since when she had started the engine and she couldn’t risk losing them.

She glanced down at the map, puzzled. They seemed to be heading out of the town. Had they found where the creature hid when it wasn’t killing? Or did they have another kind of plan? She had heard them talking about summoning rituals once. Could it be something like that?

The screen of her phone trembled again, breaking the train of her thoughts, and making her frown. She hoped that it wasn’t about to die on her. She liked that particular smartphone and the way she had hacked it, and it would have been a bother to find another one and do all the work again. She sighed and focused on the road once again. When she would have got back home, she would have checked it. Now she needed to focus on her task.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Dean had been ready to break into a string of expletives when Sam had woken him up at seven in the morning. He had slept only four hours and the consequences of the huge amount of alcohol he had consumed the night before were still burdening him. However, it had been enough to hear the words “I think I found a way to summon the Ker” to radically change his mood. He had jumped out of the bed, grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of jeans and had told his brother to give him ten minutes before they left. The younger hunter had looked satisfied with his reaction and had nodded, muttering something about the fact that they would leave in half an hour because he needed to buy something at the near drug store. By the time he was back, the elder had already packed their weaponry and bought coffee for the both of them.

“So, why are we heading out of town?” Dean asked once they were on the road. “And what kind of ritual have you found?”

“I’m not sure of the result of this and I don’t want to have people around us when we summon the Ker. We can’t risk other lives,” Sam explained checking the map carefully. “Turn right at the next crossroad. About the ritual…I’m not sure if it will work. While you were out with Charlie, I found this paragraph in one of the books. It’s the transcription of an ancient document, dated back to the very first centuries of the Greek civilization.” He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a photocopy. “It was incomplete and the translation wasn’t accurate, but I managed to get the general meaning. It tells the story of a warrior who managed to escape death in battles for years by imprisoning the Ker that was after his life. Eventually he was killed by the Fates, but that doesn’t concern us. Unfortunately, there was no trace of the imprisonment spell, but I managed to find the ritual the warrior used to summon the Ker.”

The older hunter gave him a weird look. “So, let me see if I’ve got it right,” he said slowly, frowning. “We’re going to perform a ritual you took from a very old fairy tale and _hope_ that it will work? And, if it does, we’ll try to stab whatever comes to us with a demon-killing knife. If we get it right, we kill the thing. If we don’t, it kills us. Just awesome.”

“Ah, come on, Dean! It’s not the first time we do something without being sure of it. And you have never complained. Not too much at least,” the younger Winchester pointed out, rolling his eyes. He had been expecting that kind of comments. “And you were the one who kept saying that we have to try to stab it at the first occasion. What has changed?”

“I wanted to stab it with Gabriel’s _archangel_ blade, since it has more possibilities to work. But now that we need him, obviously your _boyfriend_ isn’t here,” Dean answered, sounding fairly irritated. “I know that you’ve already called him. Which means that he hasn’t answered you and that, most likely, he won’t come for us. Which leaves us with the stupid knife. And, once again, I wonder why we’re taking him with us.” He saw his brother opening his mouth to talk back, but stopped him before he could say a word. “Don’t try to defend him, Sam. I’m not in the mood.”

Sam closed his lips, taking a deep breath and swallowing the harsh comments he had been about to make. “You’re right, Dean. But we’ve dealt with worse things without anyone’s help and we can do it this time as well,” he stated instead, with determination. “If the knife doesn’t work and we survive anyway, I’ll personally kick Gabriel’s ass and take his sword.”

“Oh, that’s my baby brother!” The older Winchester commented, satisfied, and the shadow of a grin opened on his lips. “But leave something for me. I want my part of the fun, too.” He smirked more widely. “And I promise that I won’t incapacitate him in anyway. You know, just in case you still were interested.”

“Turn left,” his brother ordered abruptly, rolling his eyes at the last part, but he couldn’t hide a small smile.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence, the low music filling the air between them. Dean kept his eyes on the road, dutifully following Sam’s directions, while the latter spent his time watching out of the window, when he wasn’t looking at the map to make sure that they took the right turns.

It took them other twenty minutes to reach the place that the younger hunter had chosen for the ritual. It was a narrow desert vale, split in two by a crevice on whose bottom a wild river flowed. A bridge connected the two shores of the fissure, its metal arches rising from the ground against the flat landscape of the valley. The Impala slowed down as it crossed it and stopped some metres away from the edge. The Winchesters got out of the car, looking around to make sure that they were alone, before turning to face each other.

“Alright. Let’s give this crap a try,” Dean stated, gesturing the sandy soil in front of them. He wasn’t completely persuaded that it was a good idea, but it was the only one they had.

Sam nodded and grabbed a paper bag from the back seat before crouching down to copy the seal he had found on the Internet. “Dean, there are some small sacks in there,” he said pointing the bag, without looking away from what he was doing. “I need you to prepare a mixture with those herbs. They should be already minced.”

“Yeah, sure,” the other nodded, immediately getting to work. He hated doing that kind of things since he was much better at stabbing monsters then at mixing stuff, but he didn’t complain. The quicker they did this the better it would be, especially if it worked as they hoped.

Once they were both done, the younger hunter lit up thirteen candles that he positioned on the vertexes of the intricate symbol he had drawn on the ground. Then he got up and went to stand next to his brother. The two exchanged a look and the elder passed him the paper with the translated ritual.

“I hope I’ll read it right,” Sam mumbled, looking at the foreign words. A pang of nervousness hit him, but he forced himself to ignore it. “Alright. Do or die.”

Dean nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder as an encouragement, and he started to read the Greek words aloud. The ancient sounds tasted oddly on his tongue, but he tried his best to pronounce them correctly. The seal began to glow before them as soon as he was done with the first line and soon a cold wind rose, blowing hard and coldly around them. The candles remained lit in spite of that and a figure made of smoke started to take form inside the circle. The younger Winchester swallowed, fighting back the bad feeling that was growing in his stomach, and shouted the last words to cover the whistle of the wind.

Suddenly everything went still. The smoky shadow trembled in front of them, slowly taking female features, but its traits remained blurry. Then, without a warning, it threw itself forward. The two hunters quickly moved aside to avoid it, but the figure ignored them, going instead straight towards the bridge. The blast wave of energy that it created with its passing threw them on the ground, but they were left otherwise unharmed by it.

Charlene stared at the grey smoke flying towards her from her spot on the other shore of the crevice, paralyzed by the surprise. She had followed the Impala with her car until it had entered the vale. At that point she had parked in the first useful spot she had found and had continued by foot. It had taken her a while to find the hunters again because her phone was no longer working, but in the end she had managed to reach them.

The two brothers had been too busy with the preparation of the ritual to notice her as she had slowly approached the bridge. She had watched them work and then had walked even closer to try to understand what they were exactly doing. Then Sam had started to talk in a language she hadn’t recognised and something had started to appear in the air in front of them. She had seen the thing gaining a more defined shape and then launching itself towards the young men, going past them and aiming for her. It had been then that it had it her. The monster was coming straight for her.

Charlie screamed loudly as she had done just a few times in her life, but didn’t have the time to do anything else before the Ker hit her, surrounding her body with her smoky figure for a moment before dissipating.

“Charlie!” Dean called from the other side of the fissure, jumping on his feet. He had no idea of why the girl was there, but it didn’t matter in that moment. He had seen the creature striking her at full and then disappearing, which meant nothing good. “Charlie! Are you alright?”

The young woman stared at him for some seconds and then started to walk towards the bridge, without answering. Her eyes were empty, her pupils impossibly large and her movements stiff and mechanic. It was clear to the hunters that she wasn’t conscious of what she was doing.

“ _Charlie_!” the elder shouted again, rushing towards the bridge in turn, immediately followed by Sam. Their new friend seemed possessed and something bad was about to happen, he could feel it. He had to do something.

Charlene stepped on the bridge before them and kept walking for a couple of meters, before stopping and resting a hand on the railing, her whole weight resting on the metal bar, watching the two running as fast as possible in the attempt to reach her.

It took a heartbeat. One moment before she was there, looking at them in the most natural of the poses. And one moment the railing had collapsed and she had fallen over the edge of the bridge, precipitating in the void, towards the wild waters.


	8. VIII.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Apparently I managed to publish the chapter quickly this time! I guess I owed you that after all those months of waiting! I wanted to thank whoever is reading the story and I want them to know that I appreciate it. And a special thank you to my awesome reviewer! I don't know if you get to read the answers to your comments, but well...thanks, man. By heart!  
> Any comment/critics is welcomed! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
> 
>  
> 
> _Chapter revised on November 10th 2015_

Castiel stumbled back, feeling his limbs trembling under the efforts he was imposing to his wounded body. There was blood running down his cheeks and dripping into his eyes and the hole in his left arm burnt like hellfire. His powers were too weak to heal his limbs rapidly and efficiently as they used to do and the fact was affecting him more than he had expected. He was trying hard to force himself to focus on his current situation, to ignore the wounds and the weakness caused by the blood loss, but his sight kept getting blurry.

He had experienced pain during battles before, but it had never lasted long enough to allow him to feel it for real. At times it had been very intense, like when he had died, but it was gone after few seconds, quickly becoming just an unpleasant memory. Now instead the stinging sensation ran through his body in violent waves, making it difficult for him to keep his mind clear. He was panting and his lungs were burning, a feeling that was so alien to him and that made him feel sick. He could sense his fading Grace trying to fix the injuries, but it managed only to keep him standing and he knew that it was dissipating quickly.

He turned his attention back to his three opponents, who were watching him with blank expressions, swords in hand, just a few feet away from him. They were wounded too, but not as much as him, and they didn’t have to deal with his same unpleasant sensations. He had no idea of how they had found him. He was sure that he had hidden his presence too well to have been tracked down, so they had to have been patrolling the area and to have accidentally run into him. He needed to be more careful when he flew or he would end up again in the waiting hands of his enemies.

He glanced past them. They had been four at the beginning, but now one laid dead on the dirty floor of the abandoned warehouse, a hole in her chest where Castiel’s blade had sunk into the flesh. He winced at the memory of the blood flooding on his hands and staining his coat. She was one of his opponents, but first of all she had been one of his siblings and he couldn’t help painfully mourning her death. That fratricidal war was bringing them nothing but sorrow and loss. He wished heartily that they could find another way to solve their disagreement, a way that didn’t involve blood and destroying their already broken family. But Raphael didn’t seem to agree with him and saw that struggle as necessary to bring peace back both in Heaven and on Earth. And he, having to choose between fighting his brother in a bloody war and letting a new Apocalypse destroy humanity, would always choose the first.

“Surrender to us, Castiel. You have lost this war in the right moment when you have started it,” one of the other angels ordered imperiously. “Come with us willingly and maybe Raphael will show you mercy, even if you do not deserve it.”

“Heaven hasn’t known mercy for a long time by now, brother,” he claimed with determination, straightening his posture despite his wounds. He had no intention of showing his state of weakness to them, even if his opponents were already very aware of the poor state of his Grace and they had shown every intention of exploiting it. But there was no new to him. His sibling had been right when he had stated that he had been in disadvantage since the beginning of the conflict. And yet he had no intention of surrender. Death would be the only thing able to force him to give up. “And Raphael is a good example of what our home has become after our Father’s departure. A place where brothers turn on brothers without a second thought.”

“You may be right, Castiel. And surely there is no mercy in Heaven for the sorry life of a dirty betrayer like you!” Another stated coldly, his voice full of despise. He took a step towards the blue-eyed angel, his own sword pointed towards his chest. “Stop fighting back and we will grant you a quick and painless death.”

“I will not surrender to you. Never. I have a task and it is too important to allow you to stop me before I have accomplished it. It is my duty and I, as the soldier I have been taught to be, will not leave it undone,” Castiel talked back calmly but with force, moving backwards.

His back hit the half crumbled wall of the warehouse. He had no ways of escape left. He couldn’t fight against the three of them and he was too weak to fly away. Besides, even if he had tried, they would have followed him immediately. He tightened the grip on his blade, his fingers made slippery by sweat and blood. He had only one option left. “I may have betrayed and sinned, but you are the ones who are at fault. I’m just doing what our Father has taught us, what angels have been created to do. I protect and love unconditionally all his creations. No matter how much sorrow it brings to me. I will bear it all for their sake.” His voice raised, showing a faith in his own words that he didn’t have. “Call me a rebel, a traitor, but I won’t kneel before a Heaven that has lost the core of its essence. And Raphael is just an ignorant asshole who thinks to have the right to rule us all!”

The first angel’s eyes flared with rage at his words. “Be quiet! I won’t listen to this shameful blasphemy any longer! You are no longer worthy to pronounce our Father’s name, traitor! Your devotion to those unworthy creatures is sickening!” He shouted, disgusted and horrified. He lifted his sword, threatening. “We offered you the chance to repent and die as one of us, but you refused. Very well, Castiel, you made your choice. Give your life for your sinful cause, be happy to die for the unholy love you feel for this world. But you’ll face the wrath of Heaven and you’ll be the first angel after the Fall to experience true Hell!”

“I don’t think so,” Castiel exclaimed and moved away from the wall, revealing the angel banishing seal he had drew on it. The bloody lines were smeared and irregular because of the shacking of the hand that had traced them, but the drawing was still enough precise to be effective. A small, bitter smile appeared on the blue-eyed angel’s tired face. “I told you. I can’t let you stop me.” And he pressed the palm of his free hand on the seal.

One moment later a flash of light exploded around them and his opponents were gone. He managed to see the disbelief and the shock on their face before he found himself alone once again among the ruins. His legs suddenly gave out and he fell on the ground, his back limp against the wall, and his knees hitting the dirty floor hard. A low groan escaped his lips and he slowly laid his head against the stone, his eyes looking at the dark sky through a hole in the ceiling. He knew that he should have left, found a refuge somewhere safer, but he was too tired to get up. His limbs were trembling as the effects of the adrenaline quickly faded away, leaving him numb and drained. He would stay there just for a while, to give his fading Grace enough time to heal the worst wounds.

His thoughts went back at the words he had pronounced. His brothers had spoken the truth, he had no right to talk about their Father, even if the real reason for that was different from the one they blamed him for. He had lost the privilege in the moment he had lost his faith in Him. He had spoken out of habit, letting his mouth shape words in which he had once truly believed, but whose meaning was now as empty as the void that was consuming him from the inside.

He let out a small sigh. Remembering the strength of his now lost faith brought him a burning sorrow, a melancholy that made his guts twist and his head spin. He felt dull, emptied and terribly _alone_. He wondered how humans could bear that absolute solitude, how they could live completely separated from each other and from the whole creation.

He had spent his entire existence being in constant contact with his siblings and the Host. Wherever he went, he could always hear their voices, feel their Grace. He had started to lose that link the first time he had fallen, during the Apocalypse, but at the time he was with Dean and the others and he had had too many things to worry about to notice the silence that was slowly enveloping him. But now that he was by himself, without a real idea of what he was looking for, the loneliness had become unbearable and consuming. He longed for the warmth and the comfort of Heaven, for the long lost feeling of belonging, for his brothers’ and sisters’ voices singing together with his own. He yearned for Gabriel’s company and for his new human family, even if it meant bearing Sam’s uncertain looks and Dean’s harsh and hurt words. For the first time, in his life he felt the need of a hand outstretch just for him, ready to offer him the help he wished for, of a presence that could fill the void in his chest.

He clenched his fists, shaking his head. He wished for all that, but he didn’t deserve it, not until he had found his way once again. That terrifying solitude was part of the price he had to pay for his sins, for losing himself and his faith. He raised a hand to his face and wiped away the blood that was still slowly falling from his forehead. No one would come for him, not yet. He still had much to do before that moment. He closed his eyes, shoving away those gloomy thoughts, and forced himself to remain still, waiting for his body to heal.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

The water was getting closer and closer, and Charlie could already almost feel its freezing touch. It wasn’t how she had imagined her death, but she had to admit that there were worse ways. The impact would kill her on the spot, she knew it because that was how Anaplekte killed. Painfully but quickly. Nothing so nasty, even if maybe her body would never be found. But she didn’t care. She had never been fond of the idea of being buried in some small space underground. The river was a better alternative all considered. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, waiting for the impact.

And then, suddenly, she was no longer falling. Strong arms wrapped around her body, holding it up, and the air around her became still and _warm_. She lifted her gaze and for a brief, endless moment she _saw_ him. Three pairs of luminous golden wings, wider than she could have ever imagined, spread all around them as a shield, filling the sky. His eyes were made of pure light too and shone like suns. He was smiling at her, she knew it even if she couldn’t see his face because he was completely made of light. His touch was warm and bright and she didn’t remember the last time she had felt so good, so peaceful. So at home.

The next time she blinked, the vision was gone and she found herself being held bridal style in Gabriel’s arms, the bridge metres away from them. It had been so quick that for a moment she had thought that she had just imagine it, but the memory of what she had seen was still _burning_ in her mind, confirming her that it had been no dream.

“Hey, girl,” the archangel called gently, still grinning at her. “You alright?”

“You…You _saved_ me!” She stuttered, still too amazed by what she had just witnessed to be able to form a more complex speech. The fear and the shock that she had felt while falling had left no trace inside her, washed away by the creature’s pure light. She tightened her grip around his neck, feeling overwhelmed. “I…I was…Thank you, Gabriel.”

“Ah, don’t thank me. That’s the usual good guys’ business,” he stated nonchalantly shrugging. “And, besides, if you listen to what my little bro Cas affirms, that’s what angels are supposed to do. They protect.”

Charlie stared at him for a while. A part of her mind knew that she should be feigning surprise for the sake of her cover-up, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She could have always blamed the shock later for her lack of reactions, if she had been questioned about it. “Wow. I mean _wow_. You are… _gorgeous_!” Her voice said instead before she could stop it. “The most amazingly beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, they tell me that. I’m a sex idol,” Gabriel joked in a cheerful tone, winking at her. “But, sorry, darling, I won’t give up this male form for you, even if I’m truly flattered. You know, I think Sammy likes me best with these features.”

She laughed at that, so hard that for some moments she couldn’t breathe anymore. The words hadn’t been particularly hilarious, not _that_ much at least, but the feeling of relief and contentment that was washing over her was overwhelming and she couldn’t do anything but let it dominate her. She had been attacked by a Greek death spirit, she had fallen down of a bridge and now she was in the arms of the archangel who had saved her. That was just too much for her.

“Charlie!” Dean’s voice exclaimed, breaking the new blissful trance in which she had fallen once again. “Are you alright?”

She nodded and took a deep breath, fighting to find her voice once again. “Yeah…” She let out in a whisper. “Thanks to Gabe.” She shot another adoring look at the archangel and then she cleared her throat. “Guys, I…I’m _so_ sorry. I shouldn’t have followed you. But…”

She stopped for a moment, trying to come up with something believable. Inventing completely wouldn’t work, especially not when her mind was still so confused. She had to stick to facts she could prove and hope that the others wouldn’t question her too much. So she decided that a half truth should be the best choice.

She took another deep breath. “I’m not a real journalist. I’m an IT employee at RRE. But I also investigate paranormal events during my free time. It’s like…a hobby. And I know about what you hunters do. One of my friends did that job, it was him who introduced me into this world,” she started to explain, carefully. “I…I came here because I heard about those accidents and…Well, the idea of a hunt seemed fun. Like…Adventure you know?” She moved her eyes among the three. “When I met you and saw that you were here for the same reason, I got suspicious. So I followed you around and I discovered what you were really doing here. I spied on you, I confess it. And I heard you talk about Gabriel…” She glanced back at the former Trickster who was still carrying her. “I just wanted…I just wanted to see the creature. I had no intention of ruining your work. I’m so sorry. It’s just…I’m not good enough to be a hunter, but I wanted to help anyway against all this…But I messed up. As it often happens. I’m sorry, really. I…I don’t know what to say. This is all my fault!”

“Calm down, Charlie. _Breathe_. The important thing is that you are fine now,” Sam said calmly, trying to reassure the still trembling woman. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “We’re not mad at you. Well, we aren’t happy about what you did either, but we’ll deal with that later. Now we need to leave before the Ker comes back.”

The other three nodded, deciding that there was no need to keep the conversation going there and then, and the group quickly headed towards the Impala. Charlie thought about telling Gabriel that she could walk on her own now, but the archangel seemed pretty stubborn about carrying her all the way to the car and so she decided against it. After all after the fall having something solid and warm to support her was a nice feeling.

She bit her lower lip. She really hoped that they would buy her story because confessing the whole truth would have been troublesome. She took mentally notice to have Crowley come to her once she had been alone and kick his hellish ass, metaphorically and if possible even literally. If she had ended up in that mess, it was all the demon’s fault and there was no way that she would have let him get away with it, King of Hell or not.

She was set in the back seat and Gabriel immediately slipped next to her, while the brothers sat in the front. She mumbled something about her rented car, letting her voice shake to make them believe that she was still in shock, which was partially true, but not as much as they expected her to be. Dean asked her where she had left it and they went to pick it up, leaving to Sam the task to drive it back to the rental while the older Winchester took her back to the motel.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. The hunter kept his eyes on the road, not even bothering to turn on the music, while the archangel busied himself with a bar of dark chocolate. Charlene in some moments could have sworn that she had heard him singing quietly in a language that didn’t sound like anything earthly. However his whispers were so light that it could be just her mind tricking her as an effect of what she had seen when he had prevented her from falling in the river. Maybe the fact that angels sang was just a human legend. After all, there was no real reason why they should do that. She let out a small sigh. She was being ridiculous. She really had better stop thinking at all for a while.

Once they arrived at the motel, Dean insisted to walk her to her room and to check it before he left her alone, advising her to catch some sleep and telling her that him and Sam would come to talk in a couple of hours.

Charlie thanked him briefly, even if the prospect of having another talk didn’t appeal her at all, and locked the door behind him. However, instead of following his advice and getting some rest, she grabbed her mobile and wrote down a brief text message for Crowley. “ _Come to me, NOW_ ”. She snorted and hit the sending key, not caring about the fact that her words sounded awfully like an order. She was too pissed off to worry about roles at the moment. The demon had better show up quickly or she would get even more furious. She threw the phone on the desk and sat down on the bed, tapping her foot impatiently.

Her wait lasted only few minutes because soon after Crowley materialized in the centre of the room, arms crossed and an inquiring look on his face. Charlie stared at him hard, pursing her lips in an annoyed frown, but remained silent. She wasn’t going to make it easy for her boss. Not after she had almost died.

The Devil held her burning gaze for some time, wondering what was going on and especially _why_ he knew nothing about it, but in the end the woman’s stubborn silence forced him to give up. “Why have you called me? And why are you trying to kill me with your eyes?” He asked, in a slightly irritated tone. “I am a busy man, girl, I have no time for staring contests.” Seeing that he wasn’t getting any answer he rolled his eyes and questioned again: “Fine. What have I done this time to gain this annoying silent treatment?”

“Well, maybe you should ask what you have _not_ done, Crowley,” Charlene replied in a harsh tone. “But I guess you’ve no clue, have you? Which means that you weren’t watching over your precious spy as you claimed! Come on, I thought that the King of Hell always knew what his minions do.”

“You are not exactly one of my minions, Charlie,” the demon pointed out, trying to sound patient. That was why he hated humans. They rarely went straight to the point. “Unless you’ve changed your mind and now wish to become one.”

“Touché, Mr Devil,” she conceded, crossing her legs, but her hostility remained. Then she attacked him again. “It still doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me. And that you’re showing very little care towards your new ally!”

She lifted a hand to prevent her speaker from talking back. She was already trying hard to keep her voice low, the last thing she needed was to get even more irritated. She couldn’t risk having one of the brothers or Gabriel hearing that conversation. “Let me finish before you start stunning me with your sophisms. You said you’d protect me from any eventual trouble but you didn’t. An archangel did it in your place. Makes you think, don’t you agree? And you told me that I had nothing to fear because the mission was easy and not dangerous. And you know what happened? The damned Ker threw me off a fucking _bridge_! Yeah, you heard that right. I almost died while you were distracted doing whatever you were doing. Oh, and, as a last thing, I had to come up with a nice excuse to explain to the Winchesters why I knew what they are and that they’re travelling with an angel!” She puffed glaring even more murderously at him. “So, _darling_ , what have you got to say in your defence?”

Crowley kept looking at her for a while, without speaking or moving, his expression perfectly blank. He seemed to be deeply lost in his thoughts, but his dark eyes weren’t unfocused, even if it was impossible to say what was going on in his mind. Then, without a warning, a huge smirk opened on his lips and he let out a very amused laugh.

“Oh, Charlie, you’re even better than I thought!” He commented looking truly impressed. “Few humans had had the courage to talk to me in such terms, hunters mostly, and among them the Winchesters of course. Those boys don’t have the sense of proportion!” He started to pace around the room, his posture more relaxed. “Alright, I _may_ have underestimated the whole business. A little. But you’re fine and that’s what matters. I told you that the boys would have taken good care of you. That’s why I wasn’t watching over you. I trusted them to do it in my place.”

“I wish I had that cup of hot chocolate again. I wouldn’t miss the target this time,” the young woman snorted, not pleased at all by his answer. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but deep down she knew that she shouldn’t have been surprised. After all she was talking with a demon. “So what? You’re just dismissing my almost death as something that happened?”

“There’s no need to be so upset, my dear Charlene. I’m admitting my slip and that’s a lot, believe me,” Crowley said in a quiet tone, offering her an almost evil grin. “Besides, what could you do to me? I’m the King of Hell. And I don’t think that you’d be so stupid to tell the Winchesters about our partnership.”

Charlie looked back at him with determination. She wasn’t going to let him scare her with his threats. She could be a powerless human, but she still had some aces up in her sleeve. “Yeah, you’re right. I can’t do anything bad to you. But I hacked Sam’s laptop yesterday and now I know how to play some nasty tricks if I want.” She allowed herself a small smirk, even if she couldn’t help feeling a bit of anxiety. The demon was being so permissive because he didn’t considered her a threat, but she had to be careful not to push too much, no matter how angry she was. “Devil’s traps, holy water, and similar things. Nothing lethal nor incapacitating, but still painful and, especially, annoying for you.”

Crowley’s gaze harder and his expression took a displeased hue. “You are playing with hellfire, girl. Literally,” he warned, his voice low and dark, even if there still was a bit of playfulness in it. “And I can assure you that you don’t want to get burnt. It’s quite an unpleasant experience. Trust someone who has been through it.”

“Well, I think it could be worth the risk,” she talked back firmly, but her tone was less sardonic now. “Besides, I think there’s an archangel who likes me. He wouldn’t be happy if you hurt me, don’t you agree?”

The demon winced a little at that. “When I sent you to the boys, I hadn’t expected you to make friends with them for real. And especially not with their angelic pets,” he admitted, sounding unhappy. He took some steps towards the bed and stopped right in front of her. “And I don’t like your new little habit of threatening me. I warned you before, I’m not a patient man, Charlene.”

“That makes two of us. I’m not a patient woman either and I don’t like to be threatened, but you do that to me all the time,” the IT technician pointed out, looking up to be able to see his face. “I’m just trying to learn from the best.”

They stared at each other for a while, the tension slowly filling the room. Charlie did her best to hide the uneasiness that had spread in her guts. She knew that she was pushing her luck maybe a little too much, but she was too proud to let the Devil have his way. She counted on the fact that Crowley still needed her for gathering information on the Leviathans and she was trying hard to ignore the little voice in her head that kept on telling that he could have always found someone else and that she was expendable for him. She needed to think that she had some kind of advantage on him or she would end up acting like a stupid puppet in his hand. Dying was almost a better alternative to that, if she had to be completely sincere.

The King of Hell could easily read the nervousness under the woman’s firm gaze and mentally smirked seeing her attempts to look resolute and untouched by his threats. Her courage and her brilliance almost made up for the insolence she was showing towards him. But, on the other hand, he couldn’t allow any kind of insubordination in his ranks. He had already too many nuisances with the demons who still didn’t recognize him as the new ruler of Hell. If the rumour that he had let a mere human walk all over him spread around, controlling those idiots would become an even more annoying task. Charlie needed to learn to respect him, even if he was aware that he couldn’t teach it to her in the usual manner. Did she want to be informed and treated as his almost equal? He could do that, if it was what it took to keep her at her place. But he wasn’t going to forgive any mistake or disobedience. Even if he could be a bit nicer in that moment. The girl had a point after all. He had almost got her _killed_.

He studied the woman’s expression. Once again she wasn’t going to break the silence, most likely because she didn’t know what to say. So it was up to him. He could just leave her there, fearing for the consequences of their argument or he could just end the matter. He decided that the second option was better, just for the sake of being nice.

“Complimenting me won’t make me forget what you’ve just said, my dear,” he spoke nonchalantly, but took a step back, giving his speaker the space she needed to breathe again. “But thank you, your last sentence was very flattering.”

“It wasn’t a compliment. Just the truth,” she stated matter-of-factly, her look softening almost imperceptibly. She sighed. “Alright, no more children spats. But I won’t forgive you so easily for my almost death.” She frowned a bit. “Anyway. I told the Winchesters that I play at the supernatural detective in my free time and that I came here to investigate the accidents. I knew about hunters because my newly invented imaginary friend did that for a living and that I spied on them because I got suspicious. That’s how I found out about Gabriel’s nature. I think they’ve bought it, but now it will be much harder to make them trust me.”

“You’re a really good liar, Charlie. I should give you more credit…And I really need to find a way to get your pretty soul down in Hell with me. You’d be a great second-in-command,” Crowley commented, offering her a seductive grin. “You sure you don’t want to make a real deal? I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“Sorry but I don’t wish to kiss you,” she snorted back, refraining the urge to stick out her tongue. Working with a demon was a thing, but accepting to become one was a completely different story. “Stop trying to seduce me, your charm doesn’t work on me! And we were talking about business.”

“This _is_ business, Charlie. And of the good kind,” he pointed out, his smirk never fading. “But if you insist, let’s talk about the Winchesters. How can I help you?”

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, but bit back the sarcastic comment that had come to her lips. No more spats, she had said it herself. If she had been still alive and free once that affair was over, she would demand to be _sanctified_. “Why don’t you just tell me everything as a start?” She asked instead. “What happened between you and the guys? And why are there Leviathans going around the world?”

“I guess it’s fair,” the King of Hell conceded, opening his arms. “But if I tell you this story, you’ll have to work for me. No more trial periods or ways out for you. And you’ll have to treat me with the respect I deserve.”

The young woman hesitated for a moment. Signing her deal with the demon was unavoidable, she had known it since the start, but she had hoped to be able to postpone as much as possible the moment when they would make it official. Now it was the time to make her choice. She could go on working keeping a false illusion of freedom and being offered just half truth or accept that she was screwed and get to know the whole story. She knew what the better option was. “Fine, you win. I’ll be your official partner-in-crime from now on. But I still won’t kiss you,” she nodded after a few moments of silence. “Now, talk.”

The demon seemed satisfied with her answer. The insulting argument had turned out to be convenient for him after all. Now the girl was totally under his control, at least as much as you could control someone as stubborn and brilliant as Charlene. But it would be enough for his purpose. He gestured to the small coffee table sat in an angle on the room. A bottle of scotch that hadn’t been there just a few moments before was waiting for them. “I suggest we sit together and have a nice drink. It’s going to be a long story, my dear.”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Sam watched his brother pacing backwards and forwards in their room from his spot on the bed. Dean hadn’t stopped for a moment since he had come back from Charlie’s room and the younger Winchester knew him well enough to be very aware of how unproductive it would be disturbing the elder when he was in such a bad mood. It was better leaving him alone with his thoughts until he stopped being completely pissed off.

He bit back a sigh. He couldn’t blame his older sibling for being so upset. To tell the truth, he wasn’t happy with the current state of things either. And not only about the fact that Charlene had almost died because they hadn’t been paying enough attention.

The ritual had worked, which would have been good news for them if it hadn’t been for the fact that Anaplekte had turned out to be much stronger than they had expected. She was totally out of control and seemed to care very little about the fact that they were after her. She was aware of her powers and, if they didn’t find a way to imprison or distract her somehow, killing her would turn out to be an impossible task. But that wasn’t what was making him so worried. He was sure that, given some time, they would find a way to bind the creature. The problem was that they didn’t have time. The Ker had chosen her victim and she wouldn’t stop until she had reaped her life. Which meant that Charlie was still in danger and the only way they had to save her was killing the demon before she murdered the young woman.

Something falling on his legs brought him back to the present, interrupting his gloomy thoughts. He instinctively lowered his eyes and found a big chocolate lollipop in his lap. Gabriel grinned at him from the other side of the bed, where he was lying slumped on the sheets. The younger hunter lifted his eyes with another sigh, but for once took the candy and unwrapped it, sticking it in his mouth. He could use a bit of comfort for once and, since the archangel seemed so eager to offer it, he should really exploit his favour. What he hadn’t expected was the shorter man rolling on the mattress until his stomach was pressed against the human’s lower back, one of his hands gripping at his thigh.

Sam let out a surprised yelp, almost letting the lollipop fall from his lips, and it earned him an amused chuckle from the former Trickster. Dean shot them a murderous look, but kept on pacing, deciding for once to ignore them.

“Gabriel! What the heck are you doing?!” The younger hunter exclaimed, turning his head so that he could see the archangel’s face. “This is not the right time for your games!”

“Oh, come on, Sammy! Don’t be such a bore!” Gabriel protested, resting his head back on the blanket. “You two have been doing nothing for more than an hour. I’m bored to _death_. Since we’ve nothing to do, you could at least try to entertain me a little.”

“I’m not in the mood for your whims now. Charlie is in danger and we still don’t know how to protect her,” the younger Winchester pointed out irritated, but he tried to keep his voice calm. He was too nervous to deal with that kind of behaviour at that moment, but he knew that getting angry would just bring him more nuisances. “Maybe, if you had been with us when we’ve performed the ritual instead of wandering off wherever you’ve been, we could have killed Anaplekte and we wouldn’t be in this situation now. So, please, stop acting like a spoilt child and try to behave like the angel you are supposed to be.”

“Hey, I saved the girl, remember? And, in my defence, I wasn’t around having fun while you two were doing your hunter things,” the archangel talked back, sounded offended. That was what he got for trying to cheer the young man up. A scolding. He really should stop being nice, it wasn’t worth the trouble. “I _did_ have my own angel business to take care of.”

A flash of regret passed in Sam’s eyes. He kept on assuming that, when he wasn’t with them, Gabriel was around making troubles, just to find out every time that he had been either watching on Cas or fighting his brothers. “Raphael?” he questioned, his voice much softer.

“More or less,” the shorter man answered elusively. He looked away from the human for a brief moment, his face darkening with something similar to worry. He knew that the hunter had surely noticed, but he quickly changed the subject before the other could ask. He didn’t want to talk about what he had been doing. It would just add more useless worries. It was better if he kept it for himself, at least for now. “Listen. I think you two already know what should be done to catch that damned bitch. She’s after Charlie, so she’ll come for her.”

“And what should we do? Wait until she comes and tries to kill her again?” Dean interjected without a warning, stopping his pacing abruptly. He was wearing a deep frown that boded nothing well. “We’ve got no idea of how to stop that fucking thing! If our weapons don’t work, Charlie will be the one to pay the price. And I’m not letting someone die just because we haven’t been able to do our job correctly! Too many people have lost their lives because they’ve been involved with us and I’m fucking tired of that shit.” His voice was bitter, but a hint of remorse could be heard in his harsh tone. “I won’t just stand and watch it happen again.”

Gabriel turned towards him, an even darker expression on his face. “Do you think that I don’t know that? Or that I like the idea of using Charlie as a lure, Winchester?” He asked, pushing himself up and away from Sam. “Well, I _don’t_. But, paradoxically, it’s the only way we have to keep her safe. Anaplekte will come for her soon, no matter if we aren’t alright with that. We can’t hide Charlie from her. She’s almost as powerful as a Fate and there’s no running away from them if they want you dead. They’re worse than hellhounds when on the job. So it’s better if we get her to come when we’re waiting for her.”

“So what? We take Charlie somewhere isolated with us, perform the ritual again and then _hope_ that your bloody sword kills the Ker?” The older hunter snorted disapprovingly, throwing his hands in the air. “Oh, what a brilliant plan! It’s perfect, because if it doesn’t work Charlie, Sam and I will be the ones in danger. We don’t have your Trickster magic, are you aware of that?”

“If you’re implying that I’d leave you alone if the plan fails, consider me truly offended, Dean Winchester,” the archangel stated, his tone becoming suddenly hard and cold. “I know you have all the reasons of the world not to trust me. For Father’s sake, even _I_ wouldn’t trust myself in your place. I mean, I’ve been a Trickster for centuries, I’ve spent a great part of my life playing bad and at times mortal pranks on people, almost not caring about anything but my own enjoyment. I’m a big asshole, I agree.” He was wearing a determined expression, but his eyes never met the brothers’. “But those humans deserved what I gave them to some extent. I’ve never punished or put in danger someone without a good reason. And that’s because I’ve never forgotten where I come from, I’ve never been able to erase my real identity. Even if at times I wished oh-so-badly that I could just let it all go.”

His gaze darkened and he took some steps towards the older Winchester, stopping only when he was standing right in front of him. He finally allowed his golden eyes to sink into Dean’s green ones. “Everything was great back then. Almost perfect. Then you two and Kali put me in the position where I could no longer pretend to be someone else. Loki the trickster is a good role for me, it suits many parts of my personality, but unfortunately it’s not who I am. ‘Cause the one who have faced Lucifer was Gabriel the archangel. And it’s him who is standing in front of you now. Loki wouldn’t give a fuck about you or Castiel or Charlie. He would have done what Dad told him and then would have wandered off leaving you up shit creek, but Gabe is so _stupid_ that he feels responsible for you dorks. And here am I, listening to your crap, Deano, while I could be enjoying myself with a much better company.” His golden orbs were burning with indignation, but there was something else hidden deep under that. Uneasiness, _uncertainty_. “I’m trying, but, you know, it’s not that easy to play the good archangel. Look at Luci, Mike and Raphie. They got it totally wrong, I dare to say. But I don’t want to annoy you any further with my nostalgic monologue. It’s too deep for your simple mind. I think I’ll follow your example and tell you what you yelled me two days ago: go fuck yourself, Dean Winchester.” And with that he turned away and headed for the door of the room, leaving the other two speechless.

Sam was the first one who recovered and managed to speak before the archangel could close the door behind him. “Gabriel! Where are you going?”

The shorter man shot him a glare. “I’m going to check on Charlie. I’m not leaving you, just in case you haven’t grasped that from my little speech,” he answered gloomily. “Oh, and I’m _walking_ to her room, ‘cause I can walk, you know? I don’t always use my “Trickster magic”, as you boys seem to believe.”

“Gabriel…” The younger hunter tried again, but his time the only answer he got was the door slammed before he could finish the sentence. He stared at it for some moments, even more shocked, and then turned towards his brother. “Dean, for fuck’s sake!” He exclaimed, exasperated. “I know that you’re upset, but was that really necessary?”

“That _what_ , Sam? It’s not my fault if the bastard is prickly today,” Dean protested loudly. What was up with everyone? Whatever happened they all seemed to be blaming him. “Is it “Let’s scold Dean day” and I haven’t been informed? I’ve just received an awful lecture from a _trickster_ , so don’t you dare to scold me too.”

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, trying to calm down. “Alright. Gabriel has overreacted, I admit it. But you’ve been a stubborn ass and you aren’t getting away with that,” he said a bit more calmly. “He’s _right_ , Dean. I agree with you, I really do. I don’t want to play with Charlie’s life, but it’s the best thing we can do in our situation. Besides, it’s not the first time we do this. Do you remember the shtriga? _You_ were the one who wanted to use a _child_ as a lure. So you have no right to attack Gabriel for having your same idea. And don’t tell me that back then was different because you know it’s not true.”

“You’re defending him. _Again_. God, Sammy, you’re awful,” the elder commented shaking his head. He turned his back to his brother for a moment. “I remind you that you’re the one who keeps telling all that “we can’t trust Gabriel” crap. I totally agree with that, but at least I’m not being a hypocrite. I don’t trust nor like him too much and I show it. I don’t go from arguing with him to standing up for him every five minutes. You should make up your mind, ‘cause this shit is starting to be annoying. But, of course, you must always act like a girl and fuss over everything.”

“I don’t…” The younger started to say, but was cut off.

“Oh, shut up. You _do_. Get real!” Dean exclaimed, throwing his hands up. Then he took a deep breath and lowered his voice. He was too tired to keep on shouting. And he was well aware that they had no time for that. They needed to take care of that damned Ker first. Maybe later he would go on giving his little brother his good dose of telling-off, but now they had their hands already full. “Alright. The asshole is right. We’ll do as he said. But I’m not fine with it and we’ll tell Charlie _everything_ before doing it. And it has better work, ‘cause if it doesn’t and we survive I’m going to kick Gabriel’s ass so hard that I’ll send him straight back to Heaven, in Raphael’s arms.” He marched over the door, opened it and stepped aside. “Now, go.”

Sam shot him a confused look. “You’ve just freaked out on me and now you’re kicking me out?” He asked, incredulous. “Just because Gabriel has treated you like that, it doesn’t give you the right to do the same to _me_!”

“I thought I told you to stop being a whiny girl already. Come on, _out_ ,” the older hunter talked back gesturing the corridor. “Go after him. I know you don’t like having him mad at you.”

The younger Winchester gaped at his brother astonished. “Are we going _there_ again? Dean, we’re in the middle of…” He tried to protest, but was interrupted again.

“Someone must tell him that we’re following his freaking plan. And I need some time alone, so you go,” Dean stated firmly one more time. He was losing his patience, so his sibling had better get out quickly. “And, in the meanwhile, you two can apologize to each other. Far away from here, where I can’t see you.”

The younger opened his mouth to talk back, but he changed his mind quickly seeing the look that the other was wearing. Complaining would have only made things worse, so he had better leave it alone. He got up from his bed and headed out of the room, just to have the door slammed behind him as soon as he was in the corridor. He sighed and shook his head. He was the one who had just recovered from a trauma, so he should be the one freaking out, not the one who had to mediate the things between his companions. But apparently he was the only one mature enough to do that. His brother was touchier than usual since Castiel’s departure and Gabriel was clearly hiding something from them, which seemed to make him snappy in turn.

Charlie’s room was in the other wing of the building, so he walked along the corridor until he reached the stairs set in the middle. He glanced at them. Something told him that, despite what he had said, the archangel hadn’t gone straight to knock at the woman’s door. He didn’t need to be physically there to check on her. She was most likely sleeping if the shorter man hadn’t gone there and so he decided to give the roof a try before going and disturbing her for nothing. He left the corridor and started to go up the stairs.

It turned out that he had guessed right. When he reached the flat roof he found Gabriel perched on the railing, his feet swaying in the void beneath him. He looked deep in thought, but he turned his head around for a moment when the hunter approached him, acknowledging his presence.

Sam kept walking towards him until he was standing next to him, and rested his elbows on the metal surface. “Hey. Dean agreed with your idea. We can do how you suggested. But we need to ask Charlie’s permission first,” he announced, looking down at the street. “I’m sorry for his behaviour. Leave him alone for a while. He’ll calm down eventually. Even if you’ve exaggerated a bit as well.” He turned towards the other. “What’s on your mind, Gabriel?”

“You’re too smart for your own sake, kiddo,” the archangel commented shaking his head, almost amused. “And your brother would be too, if he wasn’t so busy being an idiot.” He swung his feet a little and sighed. “I don’t like this. I spent so much time hiding to avoid to being involved in a war with my siblings and now I’m the one helping to keep another going.”

The younger Winchester offered him a sympathetic look. He understood how the other had to feel. He and Dean had found themselves on different sides more than once during the years and he knew how painful was having to choose between your family and your ideals. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want. Castiel must have told you too. You’ve completed your task, you’re free to go. This is not your war.”

Gabriel let out a quiet, bitter laugh that was much different from his malicious usual ones. “Oh, you’re so wrong here, Sam. Of course this is my war. As the Apocalypse was, but back then I refused to acknowledge it, at least until I was forced to,” he spoke in a dry tone. “I won’t make the same mistake again. I’d be the biggest idiot of the universe. I don’t have a real choice here.” He turned towards his speaker. “It’s you boys who should just tell me and Cas to go fuck ourselves, especially after what you had to go through during Luci’s show. You should have enough of angels and heavenly messes. Or am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. We _did_ have enough. But whatever happens in Heaven usually affects Earth, like Raphael’s plan, and we can’t just stand and watch him starting the Apocalypse again. Not after all we’ve done to stop it,” Sam answered in a quiet tone, holding the creature’s gaze. “So it’s our business as well. No matter if we don’t like it. Besides, Cas is still family, I’ve already told you. And I won’t abandon him when he is in need, nor will Dean.”

The shorter man scoffed. “You know, the explanations for all the shit you throw on yourselves are two.” He lifted his index. “One, you and Deano are the two biggest, masochistic fools I’ve ever met.” He raised his middle finger. “Two, which is the one I like best, Dean’s totally in love with my brother and is eager to throw himself in hellfire again for him, even if he is absolutely furious with Cassie at the moment. And you must have a _huge_ crush on me since you keep on standing up for me against Deano and bearing my whims.” He snorted, but this time there was a sincere hint of amusement in his voice. “Oh, and of course Cas and I love you back to distraction. After all I’m giving up a new chance to have my wonderful life as a Trickster back just to stay with you dorks, and my brother is wandering off to find a way to be forgiven by yours, not caring about the fact that he is risking is sorry life.”

“Not to mention the unhealthy attachment to family we all seem to share,” Sam added, only half joking. He was grateful that the archangel was once again staring at the sky, so he hadn’t noticed the embarrassed expression that had appeared on his face at the mention of his “huge crush”. “God, we are so _screwed_. And not in the fun way, as you would say.”

“You can say that again, Sammy boy!” Gabriel agreed, nodding in approval. He rested his elbow on his speaker’s shoulder. “I can’t wait for this mess to be over. I swear that, if we manage to get rid of the Leviathans and to survive Raphie’s holy crusade, I’m taking you three away for a whole month on holiday, in the best place I can find and far, far away from any kind of monster. My treat, of course.”

The hunter nodded in turn. “I’d like that…It’s been a while since the last time I took a real break from this life. I can’t even remember when it was,” he said quietly closing his eyes for a moment. “Even if I don’t think that Cas would come. He’ll want to go back to Heaven and try to sort things out again firstly.”

“Don’t worry about that. I can assure you that, once this will be over, he’ll be so fed up with our homeland that he’ll gladly leave it,” the archangel stated with a knowing smirk. He remained pensive for a moment. “Maybe I’ll even manage to persuade him to join me…”

Sam shot him a sceptical look. “You want to convince Cas to…“go pagan” with you? Really?” he questioned. That was too much even coming from Gabriel. “This is an already lost battle, you know it, don’t you?”

The former Trickster grin widened in a worrisome way and he sneaked his arm fully around the young man’s shoulders. “That’s what _you_ think, Samsquatch,” he claimed solemnly. “Just wait and see. I’ll surprise you.”

The younger hunter kept staring at him for some moments and then shook his head in disbelief. He knew that insisting was just a waste of time and, besides, his mind would be saner while unaware of Gabriel’s crazy plans. “We should go and talk to Charlie,” he stated instead. “It’s better if we do it without Dean. He wouldn’t make it easy for us and I don’t want him to scare her off with some inappropriate comment.”

“Yeah, good idea,” the archangel mumbled back, but he showed no intention to release him nor to move from his spot. Instead he grabbed a lock of Sam’s hair and twirled it among his fingers. “She must be resting now. We should wait a bit before letting her know that her life is in danger again,” he added distractedly after a moment of silence. “Poor girl, she’s just had the greatest shock of her life. Let’s let her recover a bit.”

“Are you talking about her falling from the bridge or her being saved by an archangel turned trickster?” Sam asked with a renewed smirk. “Personally, I’d find the second far more scaring.”

“They’re two different kinds of shock. I meant both actually,” the shorter man answered slowly, pondering his words. His time remained serious and for once he didn’t pick up the chance to make a joke about the matter. “I think she may have caught a glimpse of my true form,” he stated in the end, gaining an incredulous gaze from the human. “It happens at times, in rare circumstances. She was close to death and she still had a bit of the Ker inside her when I caught her. Anaplekte can see my true form, so Charlene might have seen a bit of it from her eyes.”

“Amazing…” The younger hunter let out before he could stop himself. He looked away, his hazel eyes wandering on the sky. “I’m a bit envious. I mean, I’ve been wondering for a long time what angels look like when they aren’t wearing their vessels.”

Gabriel offered him a strange suggestive look. “You’ve already got your bite too, kiddo. Or have you forgotten?” He pointed out with a more lascivious smirk. “My voice, when you were…”

“Yeah, I remember that. Very clearly,” Sam cut him off before he could launch into some obscene description of the ritual. “There’s no need to talk about it.”

“Still so shy, Sammy?” The archangel teased, pulling his hair a bit. “Alright, I’ll leave it alone. What a pity. I was just thinking that making out would be a nice way to pass the time. Besides, people usually find rooftops a good place for kissing.”

He leant forwards without waiting for an answer, quickly diminishing the distance between their faces, and stopped just a few inches away from the human’s lips, smirking widely. It would have been so easy to just close that small gap and turn the hunter into a moaning mess with his Grace. But he decided that it could wait. He was having a lot of fun just teasing the other.

Sam’s eyes widened in surprise and he felt a bit of heat colouring his cheeks, but he ignored it and shoved the creature away after a brief moment of hesitation. Deep down he had actually considered the idea of allowing Gabriel to kiss him. The sensation of the Grace on his skin was still vivid in his memory and so was the feeling of safety that he had felt in the archangel’s arms. However, he pretended not to have ever had that thought. He wouldn’t let that idiot play him. He still had some dignity and self-respect left.

“Fuck off, Gabe. Idiot…” He muttered, glaring hard at the former Trickster before moving away from the railing. “Come on, let’s go and talk to Charlie before Dean decides that he’s done with his alone time and does it before us.”

“You are no fun, gigantor! What’s one kiss after what we’ve done? You should try to enjoy life more!” The archangel whined unhappily, but seeing the look that the other was still giving him he decided that playtime was over and jumped off next to him. “Fine, let’s go to Charlie. And I’ll try to behave in front of her.”

“Of course you will. Now that she knows what we are there’s no more need for you to play the part of the boyfriend,” Sam pointed out, not even trying to hide his satisfaction at Gabriel’s groan of protest. “So much bad for you.”

The former Trickster grimaced. “I hate you right now. You damned killjoy.”

The hunter shot him an amused look. “Keep on telling yourself that, Trickster. Everyone knows that it’s not true.”

Gabriel couldn’t help grinning. That was why he enjoyed Sam’s company so much. They could discuss almost anything without ending up having a fight and the human often had an answer ready to his comments. He caught the other’s eyes as they went back inside and he got the impression that the young man was having similar thoughts. He beamed a bit at that before he could stop himself, a warm feeling spreading inside him against his will. He mentally groaned. Damned Sam Winchester. He was making him become far too soft for his liking.


	9. IX.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> I'm sorry, this update has come later that the previous. I wanted to review a bit the previous chapters because there were some parts I didn't like! Once again thanks to all the people who are leaving me kudos and especially to my personal reviewer! ^-^ You're awesome!
> 
> Please let me know what you think!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

When his feet touched the ground once again, Castiel found himself in a thick wood. The old trunks towered him, rising to cover the sky with their luxuriant foliage. He knew that he was still in the country that the humans now called United States, but he hadn’t been paying attention while he was flying and so he couldn’t have named the part of it where he was now. If he had concentrated hard enough he could have found out in a few moments, but he was still weak from his last fight and he had been flying without a break for more than a day. He needed to save his energies, just in case he chanced upon another group of Raphael’s followers. Luckily, he couldn’t sense any angelic presence in that area, which meant that maybe he would be able to find a good refuge where to rest for a while before resuming his search.

However, before he could move from his spot, a scream pierced the air without warning, followed by the sounds of numerous gunshots. It was faint and the woman who had let it out had to be miles away from him, but he could hear it clearly. It was a request for help, even if the words were shaped more like a curse. There was something oddly familiar in her tone, even if he was sure that he had never heard that voice before. Something that tasted sweet and smelt like gun pounder and car oil. Without a second thought, he spread his wings and flew towards the source of the yell. Even in his current state, he was still an angel and he wouldn’t ignore a request for help.

He landed near a small clearing, hidden by the trees, just in time to see the unknown woman shooting again at his aggressor, who let out a pained grown but didn’t even stumble. A demon, his mind supplied immediately. He spotted an empty bottle a few meters from them, which had to be filled with holy water considering the burns on the hellish creature skin. Castiel turned his attention back on the woman. She was young, in her early thirties, with reddish brown hair and dark blue eyes. From her equipment he quickly deduced that she was a hunter, but her current opponent had to have taken her by surprise and now she was clearly at disadvantage.

In that moment the woman cursed under her breath, snapping him out of his thoughts, and let her emptied magazine fell on the ground. The demon exploited her brief distraction to charge, hitting her right in the chest and sending her on the ground. Then the hellish creature jumped on her, stretching his arms out towards her neck, but before his dirty nails could touch her skin, the angel was behind him and his blade sank without hesitation in the demon’s back. The latter let out a strangled groan and his eyes flashed, leaving a dead, empty body in Castiel’s arms. He tossed it away without caring about the blood that had stained his trench coat and stared at woman, who was looking up at him in turn, surprised but clearly relieved.

“Hey, man, thanks!” She let out in the end, recovering from the shock. “Nice timing. That bastard was just about to lay his filthy hands on me!”

“You are welcome,” he said in his usual emotionless tone and then started to turn away, but his speaker stopped him.

“Wait! Is that all? You save my life and then disappear?” She protested, helping herself on her feet. She fixed her clothes a bit, running her hands on them, trying to remove the soil stains. “Can I at least know the name of the knight in shiny armour who has so nicely protected my ass?”

“I’m not a knight. I’m just a soldier. And I’m not wearing any kind of armour,” the angel pointed out, his eyebrows knotting in confusion. “But you are right. My name is Castiel.”

“Wow, an odd name for a weird dude, isn’t it?” She commented, raising an eyebrow, but there was no mockery of hostility in her tone. Then she offered him a hand. “Well, nice to meet you, Castiel. I’m Shane.”

Castiel stared puzzled at the outstretched arm for a moment, then he remembered that once Sam had explained him that shaking hands was a common form of greetings among humans. He hesitantly took it. The woman had a firm handshake and so he felt allowed to press a little harder in turn. “Nice to meet you,” he repeated awkwardly.

“Not a people person, are you?” Shane commented, with a small grin. “Well, I’m not usually too sociable either, so we stand together.” She eyed his angel blade. “Nice weapon, by the way. It’s some kind of demon-killing knife?”

“It can kill many creatures, not only demons,” the angel answered looking down at the sword as well. “My Father gave it to me a long time ago, when I joined my brothers on the field.”

She nodded in understanding. “Oh, so hunting’s a family thing for you too. I work with my cousin and my uncle. We were after a wendigo, but those demons attacked us and we were forced to split up. I hope they’re fine.”

Castiel was tempted to say that he had never hunt in his life, but, remembering how hunters usually reacted when he said that he was an angel of the Lord, he decided that letting her make her own assumptions was the best thing. “I see. I used to work with my…” He hesitated for a moment. What was Dean to him? He had always been much more than a charge, since the very beginning. And the hunter once had stated that he was family for him. “With my best friend and his brother. Recently my own brother has joined us, but…I had to leave.”

Shane studied him for a moment, as if she was considering his words. “Let me guess. You had a bad argument with your best buddy, hadn’t you?” She said in the end in a sigh, offering a sympathetic smile. “It’s really nasty when it happens. And if you’re a hunter is even worse. The last time my cousin and my uncle had a fight, my uncle left us on our own for almost a month. We were worried sick. But he came back in the end. And you should go back too. When you’re ready, obviously.”

He stared at her in wonder. That human was smart and sensitive, in spite of her straightforward ways. She amazed him to some extent. “That is what I will do. It is what truly matters to me. I need to show Dean that I can earn his forgiveness,” he nodded quietly in agreement, his eyes becoming unfocused. “Besides, I promised my brother that I would come back.”

“Dean’s your best friend, isn’t he? Well, he’s a lucky man. You seem a good guy, Castiel, and with this I mean the type who knows what’s really important and who fights hard for it,” Shane commented crossing her arms. “He’ll forgive you. And if he doesn’t, well…Then he’s an idiot. And so much bad for him. Loyal friends are so rare nowadays…”

She kept silent for a while, lost in her thoughts, then she spoke again. “Listen, why don’t you join us for a while? You can hunt with us. Just to have a place where to stay while you’re considering what you should do. I’m sure my uncle will have nothing against it once I’ll tell him that you’ve saved me. He’s got a soft spot on me.” She winked at him playfully, smiling again. “But don’t tell him I said that.”

The angel considered the offer for a moment. He knew that he should refuse on the spot. He had no time to lose and especially he would risk drawing his siblings’ attention on the group of hunters, putting their lives in danger. But, on the other end, deep inside, he felt that he’d like to stay, even if just for a bit. The hunters would offer him a shelter and a place where to recover his strength. Besides, Shane reminded him, in an odd way, of Dean and he was starting to miss the hunter’s presence a bit too much. He shook his head. He had no right to be selfish. His mission came first.

“I thank you for your kind offer, but I do not wish to burden you or your companions with my presence,” he answered in the end, his eyes finding the woman’s again. “Do not feel compelled to offer me something in exchange for the help I offered you. That is just what I do.”

“Ah, why do you have to be so formal? What do you have up your ass?” Shane complained with an exasperate sigh. She crossed her arms. “Listen, if you think that I’m asking you out of gratitude, then you’re wrong, hottie. I’m not that kind of person. I said “thanks” and that’s it. No other shit. I’m asking because we could use such a good hand as yours for our current hunt and because you have gorgeous eyes and I want to be able to look at them for more time. Got it?”

“They usually told me I have a stick there, but I guess it’s just a way of saying,” Castiel muttered with a frown. Humans’ use of language was so complicated at times. Then he titled his head a bit, studying his speaker. “Are you… _flirting_ with me?”

“Oh my goodness, you’re even weirder than I thought!” The hunter exclaimed, laughing hard. “Where are you from? Mars? You act like you don’t really know how to be human.” Her smirk widened a bit, maliciously. “And, since you asked, well I might be doing a little flirting. You look older than the guys I usually consider, but you’re worth the change.” She slapped his arm lightly. “Ask whoever you want, they’ll tell you I have good tastes.”

Castiel kept simply staring at her, not really knowing what to think or say. That human was a mix of Dean and Gabriel and he wasn’t sure that it was a good thing. He didn’t know how to behave around her. He had detected playfulness in her tone, but there was the same bit of longing that the older Winchester’s eyes bore whenever he looked at a beautiful woman. Was Shane trying to let him know that she would be interested in having a sexual intercourse with him? Or was he just misreading the ambiguous signals she was sending him? Whatever the truth was, he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

The woman had to notice his uneasiness, because she bent down to pick up her gun and gestured the forest to him. “So, are you coming? I need to find my family and a little of help and company would be welcomed,” she stated with a sincerer smile. “Besides, you and your blade are good at kicking demons’ asses. I’d be glad to have your assistance if I met some other motherfucker.”

The angel hesitated again, looking at her tapping foot. It was clear that she wouldn’t take a “no” as an answer, but he still knew that he shouldn’t let her force him to stay. He needed to find his answers and to get back to his companions. He had left them alone dealing with Raphael and the Leviathans, and he couldn’t waste time.

He finally opened his mouth to tell Shane that, but she was quicker and grabbed his coat sleeve, pulling him to make him walk with her. “Come on, Castiel. I don’t have all day. And neither do you,” she claimed firmly. “And I’ll have you get a change of clothes. The ones you are wearing are awfully filthy. What have you been doing? Wrestling a werewolf in the dirt? They are all torn and stained!”

Castiel looked down, paying attention to the state of his clothes for the first time. Shane was right. There were many tears in his shirt and some in his trousers. Not to mention the various spots of dried blood and filth. He hadn’t noticed before because he had been too preoccupied with the poor state of his Grace. Besides, being him an angel, those physical details didn’t affect him. Not yet at least. Usually he automatically cleaned himself after every battle, but since he had got weaker he had started to neglect it to spare energy.

“I apologise for my poor state,” he said emotionless, letting her guide him. He could have easily freed himself from her grip whenever he wanted, but he decided that he wasn’t in the mood for discussing with such a stubborn person. “I do not wish to give you any trouble, Shane.”

“Ah, don’t mention it. In our job getting dirty is a must!” She answered, shooting him an amused glance. “And, once again, stop being formal. It’s creepy, dude!”

He frowned a bit, not understanding what was wrong in his talking, but he remained silent, not wanting to get more confusing comments about his behaviour. He pulled his arm a bit and the woman let it go, but she glanced back at him to make sure that he was still following.

They walked quickly for almost half an hour, talking quietly. Shane told him that they were heading to a small cabin, which was the meeting place where she and her companion hunters had set their base. If one of them got separated from the others, they would meet there. She also told him something more about her family. She had never had a good relationship with her parents and that was why she had been living with her uncle, her mother’s brother, since when she was fifteen. He had raised her as if she was his daughter and had introduced her to the hunt much before she had moved in with him and her cousin. Her aunt had left before she was born and she had never known much about her. Apparently she and her uncle didn’t agree on his will to keep on hunting even after their son’s birth and so she had left him for a more normal life.

Castiel listened with sincere interest, even if he could have easily read that information on her soul. Human relationships were so complex and much different from how angels bonded with each other. He had learnt it while staying with the Winchesters, but it still surprised him. “Why did you choose to hunt?” He asked in the end, slightly puzzled. “You could have had a normal life, with much less danger for your person.”

“You see, normalcy has never been my thing. Since I was a child I wanted to do something that could save people’s life,” Shane answered, shrugging. “I thought about becoming a doctor, but then, one night, while I was staying at my uncle’s, I woke up in the middle of the night and I saw it. A ghost was standing next to my bed. I screamed and my uncle came with a box of salt. Apparently the ghost was linked to an object he was trying to destroy and he had messed up a bit. After hearing the story, I decided that hunting was my path. That’s it.” She smiled, but her expression held a hint of melancholy. “I must admit that at times this is very tiring and I wish I could have a normal day. But when I see the relief in the eyes of the people we save…Well, that’s the best thing in the world and I’d never give it up.” She looked at him curiously. “What about you? You referred to yourself as a soldier before. What did you mean?”

“I am a soldier, as all my siblings. That is why I was born, to fight and follow my Father’s will,” he replied, his expression blank once again. Once he would have felt pride telling that story, but now those words were stained with a deep bitterness. “Then one day the second eldest rebelled and was chased away. From that moment, our family did nothing but break every day a bit more. Father left and none of us knew what we should really do. I spent much time following orders without asking, but the doubt slowly filled my mind. I’ve kept it dutifully at bait, as I was supposed to do, but then I met Dean and everything changed. I fought my family and I lost everything for him. Now I can say that he and Sam, his brother, are my family, even if it pains me greatly every time I see what has become of my home.”

The young woman grimaced. “Wow, that sucks. I’m sorry if I sound insensitive, but it’s true,” the woman commented shaking her head. “Was your father some kind of tyrant? Because that’s the impression I got. Welcome to the club of the children with shitty parents, pal.” She let out a bitter chuckle. Then her smile softened. “Oh, and, let me tell this, your Dean guy will be much more than an idiot if he doesn’t forgive you. You gave up your life for him, for fuck’s sake! If I was in his place I’d marry you!”

“My Father is a great…man, but He has never been good at being a parent, as humans mean it. But it is as it should be. Besides, I’ve resigned myself not to count on Him,” the angel replied slowly. Shane’s words were nice and comforting, and _true_ , but, since she didn’t know, she couldn’t understand. God could never be considered the kind of father she was used to. His face darkened at Dean’s name. “No, you are wrong. I betrayed his trust, I don’t deserve anything from him. That is why I need to earn his forgiveness.”

“I’m not sure I got the meaning of your words, but it still sucks. Anyway, your own business, I won’t ask further,” Shane said, raising her hands. Then she turned and punched him on the shoulder. “Now, don’t talk crap, Castiel. Betrayal, my ass! I don’t know what happened between you two, and I don’t want to know, but whatever it is it’s not enough to delete everything you have given up for him. How was that phrase? Ah yeah! Errare humanun est. We all make mistakes, it’s normal. But, in my opinion, you still deserve forgiveness.”

“ _Humanum_ …” Castiel repeated gloomily under his breath. He was no human, that rule didn’t apply to him. He was an angel, he was supposed to be a guardian, a guide, the one who knew the right path. But he was no longer any of those, and maybe he had never been after all.

“Come again?” The human asked, oblivious to his thoughts.

“Nothing,” he replied shaking his head, his tone blank once again. He pointed the small clearing ahead of them. “I think we have reached our destination.”

Shane shot him a questioning glance, but since he refused to look back, she shrugged and nodded. That guy got weirder and weirder as the time passed. “Yeah, it’s the cabin. Come on, let’s see if they’re inside.”

She quickened her pace and stepped into the field, followed closely by the angel. The cabin was a small wooden building, with colourful curtains on the window and even some pots of flowers. It didn’t look like the refuge of a family of hunters, which was a good cover-up not to draw unwanted attention. A man in his fifty was seated on one of the benches next to the entrance door, busy cleaning a shotgun. He immediately lifted his eyes as they crossed the border of the clearing, pulling out a gun apparently from nowhere, but he immediately lowered the weapon as his eyes landed on the young woman.

“Shane!” He exclaimed, his voice filled with relief. “We were getting worried! Are you alright?” He moved his attention on Castiel, who had respectfully remained behind as Shane had moved forward to meet the man. “Who’s that?”

“Uncle Thomas! I’m sorry, but those demons were a real nuisance. I didn’t mean to worry you or Rich,” she answered resting her hand on her uncle’s shoulder and squeezing it as he did the same. Then she gestured the angel. “This is Castiel. He killed the bastard that was trying to strangle me. He got me out of deep troubles. He’s a hunter too.”

Thomas’s expression relaxed at that and he stepped forward to offer his hand to Castiel. “Ah, good to hear that. Nice to meet you. I’m Thomas Bale. Your full name, son?” Then he raised his voice. “Richard! Get your ass here! Your cousin’s back!”

The angel blinked as he was called “son”, but didn’t comment and shook the hand he was offered. “My pleasure, sir,” he answered politely after a moment, noticing that the man’s handshake was very similar to his niece’s. She had to have learnt it from him. His mind went back to his current predicament. His kind didn’t have surnames, but it would be difficult to explain it to his new companions. He thought about using Dean and Sam’s surname, but he remembered that they were very well known among the other hunters. “Castiel Novak,” he said in the end. Jimmy wouldn’t mind him using his name. After all he already wore the man’s body.

“Novak? I’ve never heard that name. And I know a lot of hunters,” the older man commented pensively. “Why’s that?”

“My family doesn’t like getting involved with the others,” the angel answered quietly. It was the truth after all. His kind hadn’t walked the Earth in a very long time and it rarely got involved with other species, if not for battle. Human prophets were a rare exception. “But I’m not following that policy anymore.”

“Yeah, he used to hunt with other two guys, but they split up,” Shane offered, shooting her uncle a glare that seemed to say “mind your own business and leave the poor guy alone”. However, she didn’t have the time to add anything else because in that moment the door opened and a man who looked a couple of years older than her joined them. He had her same eyes and playful smile.

Richard grabbed his cousin and pulled her in a hug. “Hey, Shoo! Here you are!” He exclaimed, grinning widely. “I told dad that you were just busy kicking some demonic ass!”

“Sure as hell!” She joked, hugging him back before freeing herself from his grip. “Rich, this is Castiel, the one who actually kicked the asses.”

“Hey there!” The young hunter greeted, stretching his arm toward the angel. “I’m always happy to meet another colleague. And thanks for taking care of Shane. She’s a bit reckless at times.”

The woman punched him at that. “That’s not true!” She protested loudly, as his cousin shook their guest’s hand. “Don’t listen to him.”

“So, my niece said you didn’t work alone,” Thomas interjected, speaking directly to Castiel, before the other two could start discussing. “Who were your companions?”

“Dean and Sam Winchester,” the angel answered simply, not wanting to offer more information until he had found out how much the hunter knew exactly.

“John’s sons? Those Winchesters?” The older man questioned, raising an eyebrow, while the younger humans looked at him impressed. “I didn’t know they work with others.”

“I just join them when they call for me,” Castiel explained calmly. As he had expected, they knew his friends, but luckily they didn’t seem hostile. “I stay on my own most of the time, unless Dean wants me to…hang around.”

“I see…You must be good if you work with them,” Thomas mumbled, nodding. “Well, you’ll tell me about this later.” He turned towards the other two. “Richard, go and cook some food. We’ve skipped lunch and I bet that our guest has as well. Shane, show him the guest room. And give him some spare clothes. He really needs to change.”

“Yessir!” The two youths exclaimed playfully and Shane grabbed Castiel’s sleeve again as Richard and Thomas preceded them inside the cabin.

“I told you he’d have liked you,” she whispered with a wink. Then she raised her voice again. “Come on, weirdo guy, follow me,” she ordered, pulling him towards the door. “And so your Dean is the famous Dean Winchester! I heard some great stories about him and his brother. And some very weird ones too. Good, now I’ll finally get to know which are true and which are just legends!”

Castiel followed her inside, letting her chat enthusiastically, without really paying attention to her words. He wasn’t used to be so easily welcomed. He had the feeling that partially he needed to thank the Winchesters’ fame for it, but it wasn’t just that. Shane seemed to like him for what she had seen of him and the other two humans trusted her judgement. Not to mention the fact that they were all very grateful towards him for having saved the girl’s life. The sensation that the thought raised in his chest was alien but no unpleasant. Maybe he could stay just for a little while as Shane had asked. He could learn something from them. Yet, one again he had the distinctive feeling that the place he needed to find wasn’t with them, as it hadn’t been by Sentona’s side. He was still far from finding his path.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

“Excuse me, _what_?!” Charlie exclaimed, looking at the archangel and the human who were standing in front of her. “I must have got it wrong. You can’t be asking me _that_.”

“Charlie, I don’t like the idea either, but it’s the only way we have to get rid of Anaplekte,” Sam insisted patiently but firmly. “It’s the only way to keep you _safe_.”

When he and Gabriel had reached the woman’s room, they had found her awake, busy with a glass of good scotch. Luckily for her, Crowley had remembered to clear any trace of his passage before going back to his business, leaving behind just a drink for his now official partner-in-crime. Talking with the demon had been good for her, apart from the fight they had had when he had joined her. She was feeling calmer now, even if the story she had heard had left her a bit shaken. She had guessed that whatever was under the mess the Winchester were trying to fix had to be complicated, but she had never expected their history to be so fucked up. Her life was neat and perfectly regular in comparison. She had felt a bit bad for them, but what had amazed her the most was the fact that, after everything that had happened to them, they were still together and kept going on. She wouldn’t have had the strength to do that in their place.

Still animated by the admiration, she had almost beamed at Sam when he had knocked on her door and had let him and the archangel in immediately. However, her good mood had quickly changed as she had heard what they had come to tell her. At first she had refused to even consider the idea, but then Gabriel had assured her that there was no escape from a Ker once she had chosen you as her victim, forcing her to reconsider. But the idea of playing the bait still didn’t thrill her.

“You’re sure that there’s no other option? I could try to find that imprisoning ritual you’ve talked about,” she proposed, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. “I’m very good with computers. If there’s something on the internet be sure that I can find it.”

“I’m very sure of this, Charlie,” the younger hunter agreed calmly. “But the fact is that there’s nothing to find. The ritual was lost centuries ago, much before the web era. There are no traces left. I checked.”

“Come on, girl. I know it’s scaring, but I swear that I won’t let that bitch hurt you,” Gabriel interjected, offering her his best grin. “Archangel here, remember? I saved you once, I can do it again if something goes wrong. I won’t let a stupid Greek demon touch my favourite girl.” He shot a glance at Sam. “Or my boys. Nope.”

Charlie looked at them not convinced at all. “Yeah, of course. I know, but there’s still so much I want to do in this life.” She sighed defeated. “But I also understand that I have no choice here, even if you’re asking my permission. Right?” She glared at the young man who had opened his mouth to protest. “Sam, don’t you dare. I don’t want to hear about ambiguous possibilities. I don’t give a fuck about them. If I have to be the bait for the bitch, then I’ll be her plaything. But I swear that if you get me killed I’ll come back from the grave as a vengeful spirit and I’ll haunt you all.”

“Don’t worry, Charlie, that isn’t going to happen,” Sam promised, laying a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “Also because I could never hunt you.”

She nodded taking a deep breath. She hated her life in that moment and the temptation to pick up the phone and yell at Crowley again was strong. “Good. So, when are we doing it?” She asked instead. Postponing the dreadful moment would just make her more anxious, so it was better if they got straight down to business.

“We can leave now if you’re ready, sunshine. There’s still light and this is good because the Keres are stronger at night,” the former Trickster answered, pointing the window. “Deano will go on bitching later. You’re our top priority right now.”

“Fine. Let’s go then. The sooner it will be over, the sooner I’ll feel better,” Charlie mumbled, even if she was everything but ready to face death once again. She had thought that almost dying once was enough, but apparently there was a Fate that didn’t agree and that wanted to show that it could do even worse. She could almost die _twice_ in the _same_ day.

“I’ll go and get Dean,” Sam announced then, heading towards the door. “You two can go and wait for us near the car. We’ll be there soon.”

“Sure, Sammy. See you in a few minutes,” Gabriel agreed, waving his hand. He knew that he shouldn’t act so cheerfully, but he couldn’t help it. The whole plan looked too much like one of his pranks. He turned towards Charlie. “So, shall we go?”

The IT technician nodded, even if reluctantly, and followed the creature in the corridor, stopping to quickly lock the door. If she made it alive, she would want to find all her things to be in their place. None of them spoke a word as they went down the stairs, leaving the building to reach the parking lot set in the back yard. The Impala stood out among the other cars for his cleanliness. Apparently Dean had polished it too while he was washing away the fake paint.

“They still haven’t figured out that it’s me,” the archangel stated without a warning, a satisfied grin playing on his lips.

The young woman turned towards him, giving him a confused look. “What?”

“The pranks. They still accuse each other,” Gabriel explained, looking awfully amused. “And I’m planning to keep going until they find out that they’ve been fighting for nothing once again. Their faces will be priceless.”

“If I hadn’t seen you with these eyes, I would never believe that you’re an archangel,” Charlie claimed shaking her head, but a small smile appeared on his face. “You’re so different from the idea of angels I used to have. Which is not bad. I like you. You’re a bitch, but you’re fun, and you can be serious if needed.”

“You really think that?” The former Trickster asked, surprised by her words. “That I’m…good? You don’t know what I’ve done. I’ve abandoned my family because I was a coward and I spent my life on Earth eating sweets, sharing random beds with random people and especially playing very bad pranks to keep me entertained. I _killed_ people, Charlie. Not innocent ones, but still…Someone could argue on the fact that they deserved the fate I chose for them.”

“But you’re here now, aren’t you? You’re watching over Sam and Dean to help your brother,” she pointed out as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “You’ve proved that you can be awful, but now you’re showing that you can be good too. What matters is what you choose to be. Besides, if you just have a perverse sense of justice, we can deal with it, if you restrain yourself, can’t we?” She chuckled at his astonished expression. “Yeah, I can be a philosopher if I want.”

“That’s not…Thank you, Charlene Bradbury,” Gabriel found himself stuttering out. He grimaced internally. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t _stammer_ in such a showy manner. “Or whatever your true name is,” he added to make up for his faux pas.

Charlene snorted at that, but she couldn’t help another amused grin. Then a thought hit her. “Gabe, I have a question. You three had been acting and all for the sake of secrecy and so on,” she started slowly, waving her hands a little. “But you and Sam? Was that just an act as well?”

The former Trickster raised an eyebrow, not knowing if he should laugh at her interrogative or take it seriously. “Now, I understand that angel-on-mortal sex could sound hot, and it is, I can confirm it but…You’re about to risk your life and you want to know about my romantic life? You’re weird, girl, you know?”

“I’ll take it as a compliment. And, just for the record, you’re weird too, Mr Archangel,” the woman talked back crossing her arms and putting on a fake offended expression. “And yes, I want to know about your romantic life. I’d rather not thinking about what we’re about to do. It would just make me panic. So, come on. Distract me!”

“You’ve a point, girl,” the archangel conceded with a small nod. He could see how nervous the human was, even if she was doing a good job hiding it. “Now, to answer your question…” He started, but he let his voice trail off almost immediately, looking thoughtful for some moments. “Well, yes and no. I’ve been dead for a good while, then Dad brought me back to help Cassie out. I slept with Sam. Once. Less than a week ago. But it was ritual sex, angelic _duty_ you could say. I liked it. Quite a lot. And yes, I’d do it again if I had the chance. I know you’re not interested, but you have to admit that Sammy has a wonderful body. I spare you a detailed description, but trust my word.”

Charlie nodded in understanding. “He is good-looking and appealing, for a guy,” she agreed, a small smile playing on her lips. “So, you like _like_ him?” She pressed then. “Or he’s just a wonderful, hot fuck buddy?”

“I don’t know if I can say that I like him in that way,” Gabriel answered, feeling slightly uncertain. He hadn’t thought hard about the matter. He had just been happy with admitting that he had a certain interest in Sam, on both a personal and a physical level, but he had never stopped to consider the _emotional_ aspect of his involvement. He hadn’t felt the need to. He had never dealt well with emotional attachment and all his previous attempts at it hadn’t ended well. “I developed a soft spot on him quickly after our first meeting. He’s smart and I enjoy his presence.”

Charlie waved a hand, as to push him to go on. “And you want to have sex with him again,” she added for him.

The former Trickster raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

The woman rolled his eyes. Shouldn’t the creature in front of her being almost all knowing and millennia old? “That’s what I’d call “having a crush”, Gabriel.”

The archangel blinked. “Oh,” he let out, just to realise in horror that he was starting to sound like Castiel. He loved his younger brother, but at time the other angel was simply embarrassing and he didn’t want for any reason to act like him. He had a reputation to defend. “I guess you’re right. It was kinda obvious, if I have to honest. I just never thought to acknowledge it,” he amended with a shrug. “It happens. Angels aren’t immune to attraction, even if they like to pretend they are. Especially if they have spent as much time as I have among humans, it’s inevitable to develop connections. It’s not my first and won’t be my last.”

It was Charlene’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “And you aren’t planning to…act on it? Get some more hot angel-on-mortal sex?” She asked incredulous at the almost disinterest that her speaker was showing for the subject. She had become used to see the creature be all over Sam, while in that moment he was doing exactly the opposite. “I thought you always went for every chance to have a good time.”

“That’s true, but I respect Sammy too much for that,” Gabriel stated, nonchalantly. “Besides, he likes serious things and I don’t do relationships. Not the kind he wants at least. I enjoy my freedom too much to tie myself to a single person. It could be fine for a while, but then I’d get bored. I think you can imagine what I mean.” He shot her a meaningful look. “Not to mention Sam’s overprotective brother. Deano would kill me if I laid a finger on his “little” Sammy again. I think he’s still a bit pissed off with me for the ritual thing.”

“Actually, I don’t think that Dean would be such a huge obstacle,” the woman talked back, offering him a smirk. “Oh come on! You must have noticed it. Now, I don’t know if he does it to embarrass Sam or whatever, but he keeps on pushing him towards you. Like the first evening at the diner. He sat down next to me to leave you near Sam and then got me to drink so that you were alone. Or when you’ve given me a ride here. He noticed that you two were cuddling but pretended not to have. I’ve more examples than you can imagine.”

“Deano trying to hook me up with his brother? Impossible.” The archangel shook his head, making a face. It didn’t make sense at all. The older Winchester had never liked him since when he had come out as not human and he had never wanted to give him a single chance, unlike Sam. Not that he could blame him too much for that. “Why should he do something like that?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie answered, looking pensive. “Maybe Sam likes you back?”

Gabriel almost laughed at that. “That would be a good reason to keep him away from me. Trust me, kiddo, the last thing Deano wants is to have an angelic Trickster in the family,” he claimed in a solemn tone, scoffing. Then his tone turned slightly more serious. “And, before you say that I should exploit the thing anyway, I’ll say it again: I don’t do relationships.”

“And we all should thank that freak of your father for that!” Dean’s voice exclaimed from behind them, catching them off guard. “It’s salvation for those poor masochistic idiots who could wrongly believe that getting involved with you is a nice idea.”

“Always so flattering, Deano,” Gabriel commented with a snort, but he didn’t miss the glance that the older hunter shot at Sam as he pronounced the last sentence. He could feel the younger human’s eyes on him too, but he pretended not to have noticed. He had no idea of how much the brothers had heard of the conversation and honestly for once he didn’t want to know. As he didn’t want to see whatever look there was in those hazel orbs. “You took your time, miss.”

“Says the one who shows up only when he wants to,” the older Winchester talked back, crossing his arms. “Now, you two, get in the car. We’ve work to do.”

“Touché, Winchester,” the archangel said, raising his arms in surrender before opening the back door of the vehicle. “Charlie, it’s better if you ride with…” He started to say, but the young woman interrupted him before he could finish.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s better if I ride shotgun. I’m still nervous and my stomach is giving me some problem,” she stated firmly, daring him to contradict her with a murderous glare. She went around the car to claim the passenger seat. “And I’m sure that the last thing that Dean wants is me throwing up on the upholstery, isn’t it?”

“You can say it again, Charlie!” Dean agreed with force, getting inside the vehicle. “If you need to vomit, do it out of the window, or I swear that you’d rather face the Ker alone.”

Gabriel shot a nasty look at the woman, who offered him an angelic smile in response, and sat down in the back, finding himself once again next to Sam. She had done it with that precise purpose and he hated her with all himself for that. He should have imagined that speaking so openly with her about the younger Winchester wasn’t be a good idea. He looked briefly at the hunter seated a few centimetres away from him, just in time to see the other stealing a glance at him as well. Sam was wearing a strange expression that he couldn’t interpret and immediately averted his eyes when their gazes met. He didn’t look upset, but he wasn’t happy either. It was as if he was considering something carefully and didn’t know what to think about it.

The archangel frowned a bit, feeling frustrated. He hated not knowing what was going on, especially if it concerned him. Had Sam heard the confession Charlie had extorted out of him? He was almost sure he hadn’t, because Dean would have interrupted them much sooner if the brothers had been already listening. So, it was more likely that they had heard just his last sentence. But he still couldn’t place Sam’s reaction. Could the woman be right about the younger Winchester liking him? He was sceptical about that. Of course, the hunter had given him the impression of enjoying his company and he was sure that he felt a certain fondness for him, even friendship, but something more? Something _romantic_? It would be quite heart-breaking for poor Sammy and he didn’t wish to complicate their situation even more because of stupid unrequited feelings. Charlie could hit him if she wanted, but he wasn’t going to get stuck in a common love story. If something concerning the Winchesters could be common.

Kali’s name popped up among his thoughts, making him smile a bit. It was true, he had been involved romantically in the past centuries, but it had been different. He had always started them for fun and they had been focused mostly on the physical level. If he had developed some soft feelings for his partners in the meanwhile, as it had happened with the Hindu goddess, it had happened later and it had been completely uncalled for. Angels didn’t love so easily, as humans seemed to think. They were soldiers to the core and that kind of emotions was something that usually didn’t belong to them.

He shot another glance at Sam and bit back a snort. Of course, if there was someone who could change what had been true for millennia, that was a Winchester. What had happened to Castiel was just the most striking example. Never trust those boys to make your life easier, if you were an angel. They would make you at least turn against what you had believed until a minute before and die for them a couple of time for their sake. Not to mention making you fall for them. And he was starting to suspect that the verb didn’t only refer to angels losing their Grace.


	10. X.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, everyone!
> 
> I'm slightly late this time too with the updating, but I'm trying to be a bit regular anyway!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

If she survived that folly, Charlie decided that she would have to rethink her idea of “nervousness”. The restlessness she was experiencing now, standing before a weird seal drawn on the floor and holding a paper with an ancient Greek spell written on it, made all the other times she had felt tensed look like happy moments. She cursed Crowley for having thrown her in that world of monsters, herself for having been so careless, the Ker for having chosen her and not someone else, her three companions for having persuaded her to do this, and God just because she now knew that he existed. She was aware that her angry thoughts wouldn’t change the situation, but she felt a bit better when she was finished. Which was a lot considering her current position.

She looked down at the spell. The plan was fairly simple. She had to recite the words to summon Anaplekte and, as soon as the creature, the Winchesters would stab her with both their knife and Gabriel’s blade. Just to be sure. The archangel had been given the role of back-up in the case that something went wrong. He had muttered something about being able to hold the Ker back, to give them the time to leave. He also had the task to make sure that she didn’t get possessed again because that would be difficult to fix.

Charlie sighed. It was one of the worst plans she had ever heard. They didn’t even know if the weapons would work, even if Gabriel had sounded incredibly persuaded when he had stated that no pagan thing couldn’t be killed by an archangel blade. And yet the whole idea was so crazy that it could actually work. Or at least that was what she wanted to believe.

She took a deep breath, deciding that the time for hesitation was up, and started to read, trying not to stumble on the words and to ignore the fact that her hands were shaking slightly. Sam had made her read the spell over and over again so that she didn’t say it wrong, correcting her pronunciation as much as he could. Greek was a bitch language, she had decided after the tenth time, but now she was grateful for those repetitions. Reciting had become almost automatic for her and this way her inner agitation didn’t affect her voice too much.

Contrary to what had happened the first time, for few long seconds after she was finished nothing happened. Charlene blinked, wondering if she had actually made some mistakes while chanting. Her mind was a mess in that moment, so she wouldn’t be surprised if she had skipper a word or similar. She tentatively looked around the empty warehouse they had chosen for the ritual, since she had been categorical about not wanting anything near a bridge or a crevice, but nothing moved. Great. The possible explanations were two. Either she had misspoken the whole thing or the ritual wasn’t actually binding for the Ker and she had chosen to ignore it, which was bad enough to make her hope for the first thing.

The silence reigned over the place for some more moments but then, right when she was considering reading the spell again, the temperature of the air around her dropped without a warning and the flames of the candles started to flicker.

The young woman, startled by the sudden change of atmosphere, took some quick steps backwards, just in time to get away from the smoky figure that was starting to appear in the middle of the seal. That time, unlike the previous one, its profile kept getting more and more defined until a real, corporeal body was standing in front of Charlene. The latter gaped at the creature. She was of the most gorgeous women she had ever seen. Her slim and sinuous body was covered just by a dark thin peplos-like dress and she wore fine leather sandals. Her wavy black hair was partially tied in small braids, one of which ran over the creature’s forehead, while the rest of it was loose and fell down in locks on her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to be made of the same smoke from which she had appeared and they twinkled softly in the dim light.

Anaplekte smiled affectionately to the young woman, revealing white and sharp teeth. “Hello, Charlene,” she greeted in a melodious tone. Then, without turning, she added, in a harsher tone: “And you two can come out from behind those boxes. Don’t you dare to think that I’m not aware of your presence.”

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance from their hiding place before standing up, weapons in hand. The elder’s expression was a mask of annoyance, while the younger looked more worried. But they both shared the same kind of thoughts. They expected the demon to behave like the first time they had summoned her, but apparently she had other plans. In that form she was an easier target, but they had lost the surprise effect on which they were counting on.

“You too, Loki,” the Ker ordered firmly, even if her disquieting smile never faded. “Or should I call you Gabriel?”

The archangel immediately materialized next to Charlie, a defiant expression on his face. “I’ll let you choose, milady,” he answered in a mocking tone. “Even if, in my opinion, I like the sound of Loki best when it’s shaped by those lovely lips of yours.”

The IT employee’s eyes widened at that and she turned away from the Ker, looking down at the former Trickster in disbelief. “Gabriel! You _slept_ with her!” She exclaimed in an incredulous and accusing tone, making the Winchesters’ astonished gaze fall on the shorter man in turn.

The archangel groaned. “Oh, come on. It was _decades_ ago!” He defended himself opening his arms. “And it was that or my life. Sorry if I chose to live.”

“That’s how you manage to escape during the war,” Sam interjected, running a hand on his face. He had been really naive. He should have asked for a better explanation when the shorter man had mentioned the episode. He should have seen it coming, especially considering the way in which Gabriel had behaved since their arrival in the town. “That’s why you’ve been so reluctant to tell us what we were hunting. You _know_ her!”

“Man, is it there some fucking pagan bitch you haven’t slept with?” Dean commented harshly, rolling his eyes. He was so going to strangle the archangel. He had played them since the start once again. “I’m fed up to the back teeth with meeting your exes!”

“You only met Kali before,” Gabriel pointed out, lifting his eyes. Then he decided to ignore the brothers’ complains, since that discussion wasn’t going anywhere, and turned towards the Ker once again. She was the most urgent problem at the moment. “Sorry, dear, but I won’t let you touch this girl. She’s with me.”

“He means that he won’t let you kill me,” Charlene corrected, gaining a weird look from her companions. She glared back at them. She had the right to express her thoughts and Anaplekte was really hot, no discussing on that point. Lucky fucking archangel. “If I can have the same deal you did with him, I’m totally up for it.”

The creature let out a harmonious laugh at the offer. “I’m sorry, sweety, but I’m not into humans,” she answered, her grin turning into a smirk. “You’re quite appealing, I admit that, but I don’t want to create a precedent, so I’ll just take your life. And your friends’ ones.”

“I want to see you try, bitch!” Dean snarled at her, lifting the demon-killing knife. “Who tells you that we won’t be the ones to kill you?”

“How ill-mannered. I don’t like you,” Anaplekte said frowning deeply. “And, Dean…” She stretched her arm towards him, throwing him against the nearest wall so hard to force all the breath out of him. “That’s why you won’t. You poor powerless creatures can nothing against me. Next time you should really think it twice before calling me bitch.”

“Dean!” Sam exclaimed, turning towards his brother, but he couldn’t add anything because one moment later he was sent against the same wall. His back hit the cement with violence and he let out a loud groan, losing the grip on the blade he was holding. The weapon fell on the floor, rolling far away from both hunters.

Gabriel immediately stepped in front of Charlene. His eyes were sparkling with power and his expression was now deadly serious. “You’ll get to touch them again only over my dead body, Anaplekte,” he warned, his voice dark and low. “It’s time for you to learn your place. I don’t need my blade to teach you a lesson.” He shot a glance at the young woman he was protecting. “Charlie, get out of here.”

“But, Gabe…” The IT technician tried to protest, but she was cut off immediately.

“Go. _Now_.” The archangel ordered again firmly, his tone so commanding that the human could do nothing but stepping back, moving away from the two supernatural beings. He nodded to himself, satisfied. The battle wasn’t going to be easy for him and he didn’t want to risk getting her hurt while fighting.

“You really think you can kill me, Loki?” Anaplekte asked, amused. “You chose not to fight me years ago for a reason. You should stop kidding yourself. You’ll lose this battle and I’ll go after your precious girl. She can’t hide from me!”

“I’m no longer who I was when we met,” he talked back, not impressed by her threats. “Back then I’d have done anything to avoid a battle because I had no reason to fight. Now things have changed. And I’m going to show you how much.”

“If this is what you want, let’s start!” The Ker exclaimed, stretching quickly both her arms in his direction. “I’ll destroy you this time!”

Gabriel was caught off guard by the sudden attack and the creature’s power sent him back against a pile of box. The hard wood broke under the violence with which his body hit it and he found himself buried under the mass of material. He let out a low growl, sending it flying in all direction before getting up. “Nice blow,” he commented in a sarcastic tone, brushing his clothes with his hands. “But if this is all you can do I won’t even enjoy myself in this fight. Let’s face the truth, you are much better at seducing people into your bed.”

The Ker’s eyes flashed with rage, both for his words and the fact that she was starting to realise to be in disadvantage. Her beautiful face was contorted in a grimace of pure hatred and was slowly taking a grey hue. “How do you dare! You filthy insolent…” She growled, but her voice broke in a groan of pain before she could finish the insult. Her hand moved to her back where Dean had plunged his knife deep to the handle.

She turned towards him, incredulous and even more furious. “You’ll pay for this, Dean Winchester!” She yelled, her voice losing all the softness it had held until then. She grabbed the weapon and extracted it from her flesh with a fluid movement, her other hand reaching for the hunter’s neck and closing tightly around his throat.

Dean gasped and struggled, his nails clawing the skin of her wrist, but her grip was too strong to break. He tried to say something, but only a faint strangled noise came out from his lips. His lungs were already starting to burn for the lack of her and his vision was getting blurred. He wrestled the creature harder, but he obtained only to make his consciousness fade more quickly.

Sam tried to reach out for their opponent in turn, but she sent him against the wall with a wave of her hand, trapping him against it. “Dean!” He called, struggling without success against the invisible force that was pinning him to the cement. “Let him go, bitch!”

She ignored his cries and turned towards Gabriel pressing the knife to the older hunter’s neck, nipping his skin and drawing some drops of blood, a new triumphal grin her face. “Try something and I’ll cut your precious human’s throat,” she warned, clearly pleased with how the fight was turning out. She snapped her fingers and two deep cuts opened in the former Trickster’s chest, blood soaking the front of his shirt. “So, what were you saying about not having fun, Loki dear? Be prepared, because I’m going to rip you apart piece by piece!”

The archangel let out a surprised yelp of pain and brought instinctively his hands on the wounds, but didn’t move. That was really bad. She was fast and, if he tried to get Dean away from her, there was the risk that she would manage to slit his throat anyway. Not to mention that she could crash Sam against the wall in any moment, reducing the younger hunter into a mess of blood and minced meat. His hands were tied.

At loss of what to do, he moved his gaze between the two Winchesters, feeling impossibly frustrated. He had managed to get them away from Lucifer, so how was it that he couldn’t free them from a Greek demon? He clenched his fists. The fact was that his older brother had let them go back then, since he wasn’t really after the Winchesters in that particular occasion. Anaplekte instead had all the intentions to kill them all. The burden of his unhelpfulness suddenly fell on his shoulders. He was useless when it came to act like one of the good guys. He had mostly been a problem during the Apocalypse and now he was proving himself able only to cause troubles and to put the others in danger once again. He lowered his eyes. It was his fault if they were in that situation. He had chosen to play around instead of leading the hunters straight to the responsible of the killings and then he underestimated their opponent. And now he couldn’t do anything to fix the consequences of his poor choices.

He was about to admit his defeat when, suddenly, a voice came from behind the Ker, startling him. “Hey, have you forgotten about me, bitch?”

Gabriel lifted his gaze again, just in time to see Charlie stabbing the creature with his blade, running her through from side to side. Anaplekte let out a horrible deafening scream and let go off Dean, who fell on the floor gasping and coughing heavily. The creature convulsed, terrible noises of agony leaving her lips, and her figure wavered, its profile getting blurred, until when, with one last piercing yell, she exploded in a cloud of grey smoke that quickly dissipated in the air.

Sam stumbled forward from his spot on the wall as the force that had kept him in place suddenly disappeared, but he caught himself in time to avoid falling on the floor and rushed towards his brother, kneeling down next to him.

“Dean, are you alright?” He asked, concern dripping from his voice, but he relaxed a bit when the other gave him a curt nod, still too out of breath to offer a verbal answer. That had been awfully close. They really had to thank Charlie’s wonderful timing.

The former Trickster shot the two hunters a glance, making sure that none of them needed a bit of Grace to recover, and then turned around, heading out of the building without a word. His expression was dark and his eyes unfocused.

Charlene and Sam exchanged a confused look, puzzled by the archangel’s behaviour. The woman frowned and gestured the younger Winchester to take care of Dean, before quickly following the shorter man outside, the sword still in her hand. She had to catch him before he decided to fly away or they would never know that the hell was wrong with him. He should be happy, they had managed to kill the Ker and they were all alive and mostly well.

Not finding him outside in the open space the door, she decided to check the surrounding area, hoping that he hadn’t really already left. She had to go around the whole building before finding him in the centre of the backyard, looking gloomily up at the sky. She watched him for a moment, trying in vain to guess whatever thought could be crossing his mind, then she tightened her grip on the blade and slowly approached him.

“Gabe,” she called softly, once she was at his arm’s reach. “Are you alright?”

The archangel didn’t look back at her and didn’t move, but his voice was unusually flat when he spoke. “I don’t get it, Charlie. I really don’t get it.”

She frowned a bit, caught off guard by that sudden changed of behaviour, but she decided to play along. “What it is that you don’t get?” She asked carefully, her eyes scanning his face.

He offered her a small shrug. “I don’t understand why I am back,” he answered, his voice still emotionless. “I did my little show with Lucifer and I was gone for good. Then, He decided to bring me back. He could have sent _anyone_ to stop Castiel. Someone who could actually do a good job, if possible. Or He could have showed up and told Raph and Cas to stop fighting, which would have been the best solution for everyone, I dare to say. But no, of course. He’s sent _me_. If this is some kind of bad joke, well, I don’t like it.”

The young woman took one more step towards him. “Now I’m the one who doesn’t understand. You’re an archangel, the only one among the rest of the angels who actually can and want to help against Raphael. So, I don’t see why bringing you back is be a bad idea,” she said sounding a bit confused. She didn’t really have any idea of what the other was talking about, but one thing was sure: what she had just heard was the classical start of a self-hatred speech and she had no intention to take that crap from someone like Gabriel. “If your father sent you, there must be a good reason. He’s God, even if he’s awful from what you told me.”

“I’m no longer sure that He does have one. Actually, I’m pretty sure He stopped caring a long time ago. These…interventions of His. They’re just what He does not to burden his conscience too much,” the archangel stated flatly, finally turning to face her. There was a dark shadow in his eyes that had stolen away their usual golden brightness. “Come on, girl, look at me.” He gestured down at himself, scoffing. “I’m the best trickster ever, but I _suck_ at playing the angel. I’m the worst at being _myself._ How’s it even possible? I’m _useless_ in this role. What’s the point of bringing back to life someone like me?” His tone got bitterer and bitterer as he spoke. “I almost got us all killed in there because I was being cocky and irresponsible. I came back to help Cas and now I don’t even know where he fucking is. He’s alive, I can sense him, but I can’t locate him. What if he needs me and I cannot reach him in time? He’ll die because I’m an awful big brother. Second chance my ass! I’ll tell you why I’m back. This is Dad punishing me for playing all those bad pranks. The almighty prick.”

Charlene rolled her eyes. There it was the self-hatred speech, exactly as she had thought. “If he’s punishing you for something, it’s for you being such an _idiot_ ,” she talked back firmly. “Don’t force me to kick your nice arse. You’re useless as an archangel? Should I remind you that you saved my life a few hours ago? Maybe you don’t care about that, but it matters a lot to _me_. Not to mention the fact that you’ve stood up against that bitch to protect me and the boys. You knew how strong she was and you didn’t even have your sword, but you challenged her anyway. For us. That’s what angels do, they protect. You yourself told me that this morning. Or have you already forgotten it?” She held the still bloody blade out for him. “I just returned the favour saving you idiots. So now stop being a cry-baby and let all that shit go. Or do you think that giving up will help the situation?”

Gabriel looked down at the sword, but made no move to take it. “You should keep it. You’re better than me at using it,” he mumbled under his breath. He had heard the woman’s words, had listened to them, but they hadn’t been able to reach him for real.

Charlene let out an exasperate sigh. That was too much. “I told you to stop talking _crap_! I like angst, but only in fiction. In real life it’s not cool at all,” she stated, grabbing his hand and pressing the weapon in his palm. “Now. Listen to me and don’t tell anyone that I’ve said what I’m about to say. I don’t know how angels are supposed to be, but I like _you_ , I’ve already told you that. And so do Sam, Dean and surely that brother of yours, Castiel. And with “you” I mean your reckless, sarcastic, ass self.” She poked him straight in the chest to underline her words. “You’re a bitch, but you’re fun. Shit happens. What matters is having the courage to face it. And you have it. So, if you’re the worst angel in Heaven, well, then I thank God for making whatever kind of divine mistake he did while creating you. You’re good as a trickster? Nice. You should try to exploit that, not to mark it as something that has nothing to do with who you are. You’re Gabriel, but you’re Loki too. If you’re different from your siblings it doesn’t mean that you suck at being yourself. You’re just…different. Trust me, we humans know a lot about that.”

The archangel stared at her for a while, this time truly reflecting on her words. He had to agree with her on a point. He was trying hard to get it right, even if he was so bad at it. And she had been right also when she had told him that surrendering wouldn’t bring him anywhere. He had to keep fighting, no matter the results he was getting because that was the only way to have a chance to win it. He had promised himself that he was done running, and yet he was still sort of doing it. That wasn’t what he really wanted. He couldn’t accept it, not anymore.

His eyes fell on his still blooded shirt and then on the stained blade. He snapped his fingers and one moment later he was perfectly clean once again. A small smile spread on his lips. Trickster _and_ archangel? He had never thought about it that way, but it felt _right_. It had always been Loki _or_ Gabriel, as if they couldn’t coexist, but now he saw that he had been wrong. He really was an idiot. That girl had grasped in a day something he hadn’t understood in millennia.

“If you weren’t so much against the idea, I’d be making out with you in this instant,” he claimed playfully in the end, breaking the comfortable silence. He offered her a seductive smirk. “You sure you don’t wanna give it a try? I won’t take advantage of you, I swear.”

“Don’t you dare! I’m still ready to kick your ass,” Charlie warned, but she was grinning as well. It was good to see that for once she had been able to say the right thing, even if she wasn’t very good with people. “But you can hug me if you want.”

Obviously, she had meant it as a joke. She hadn’t expected the former Trickster actually pulling her in his arms and holding her tightly. A warm feeling spread inside her and she felt suddenly happy, enveloped in that same luminous energy she had tasted when he had saved her from the nastier fall of her life. It was Gabriel’s power running on her body and she could read the message in it. “ _Thank you,_ ” it said. She felt tears of joy filled her eyes, but the archangel pulled away right when the feeling was starting to become too overwhelming for her.

“We should get back to the boys. You can never leave them alone for too much time, ‘cause they always end up making troubles,” the creature said as soon as they had broken apart, gesturing the building. “And I still have a prank war that waits only for me.”

Charlie quickly dried her eyes, her head still feeling a bit too light, and nodded. “That’s the Gabe I like! I absolutely need to give you my phone number, so you can tell me how it will end!” She answered enthusiastically.

In that moment, asking to stay in contact, she wasn’t thinking about Crowley or her mission. She really wanted to be a part of that strange group of dorks, even if they had dragged her in deep troubles already. There was something in the air when she was with them, something that lingered even in spite of the contrasts and the insecurities. Something that tasted like home, like family. It had been too long since the last time she had felt it.

With another grin, she took the arm that she was being offered and walked back with the archangel towards where they had left the car. The Devil wouldn’t be happy about how fond of the three she had grown, but in that moment she couldn’t care less.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

After the first six days he had spent with the Bales, Castiel was starting to understand why some humans found hunting so enticing. His weakened state allowed him to feel the adrenaline filling his vessel’s body during the ambushed and the fights, a sensation that was alien to him but not unpleasant. Another aspect that he found satisfying was seeing the expressions of the victims they managed to save. Their tired and still frightened faces usually lit up with relief and sometimes gratitude when they took down the creature that had been threatening them. He had never really cared about anyone but Dean and Sam before, but now he was learning why his friends put so many efforts in saving life. It was gratifying, in its own odd way.

He had also learnt a lot about hunting itself. He had agreed to help his new companions to take down the wendigo they were hunting and, as soon as he had got to know that it had to be burnt, he had retired to his room to make a Molotov similar to the one he had thrown to Michael during the duel between his oldest brothers. In that occasion it had proved to be a very effective weapon, so he had thought to give it another try.

The hunters had looked at him in disbelief when he had taken it out and used it during the battle, hitting the monster while he was running straight towards Richard. He hadn’t considered the fact that no human should have been able to see a wendigo while he was moving that fast and he had struggled to persuade his new companions that he had just been lucky. From that moment on, he had decided that he needed to be more discreet when he used his angelic powers around them or they would have got suspicious.

After taking care of the beast, they had moved to another state, where Thomas had left him and Shane to take care of a poltergeist, while he and Richard had moved on to investigate some ritual killings happening a few miles away.

The young woman had turned out to be a good partner and he felt almost at ease working with her. She was a pleasant company too and she gave him the space he needed, never questioning him too much when he did something that in her opinion was weird. At times he had some difficulties understanding what she was saying or doing, but after spending so much time with Dean he had become better at reading human behaviours and expressions.

“Ah, I needed it!” Shane commented, taking a sip of her beer. “That damned house has almost driven me crazy!”

They were seated in the corner table of a small bar, away from prying ears. After almost four days, they had managed to get rid of the poltergeist. The spirit had been hunting a small house in the outskirts and had almost thrown one of its owners out of a window. The purification ritual hadn’t been enough to chase it away, even if it had blocked it long enough to allow them to make some research and find out whose ghost could be causing the phenomenon. After that, things had got easier. The corpse was still buried in the near cemetery and they had managed to find it before someone got killed.

While they were working inside the house, Shane had earned several cuts by a mirror that had exploded in her face and Castiel had been stabbed in the back by one of the kitchen knives, but luckily he had been alone in the room when it had happened. Otherwise it would have been difficult to explain why he was still alive and mostly well. The wound was still pulsing lightly under the bandage he had applied on it, reminding him constantly of how weak his powers were becoming. He frowned at the thought. He should go back to his search soon, he had wasted already too much time. He had decided to stay with the Bales until he had recovered, but he had been fine for almost two days by now. And yet he was still at Shane’s side.

“Cas, are you alright?” The young woman asked, bringing him back to the present. “You look unhappy. Is something worrying you?”

“I am fine,” he answered, playing with his empty bottle before looking up at her. “I apologise. I got lost in my thoughts.”

She patted his arm and offered him a warm smile. “It’s fine, man. But you know I’m here if you need to talk, don’t you? We’re partners now, even if only temporarily. And partners help each other. The Winchesters should have taught you that.”

“I appreciate your offer, Shane, but I assure you that it’s nothing important,” he lied quietly, his eyes drifting away when she mentioned his human friends. “I was just thinking that soon I will have to leave to take care of my unsolved business. That is all.”

“I see…” Shane’s expression darkened a bit at his words. She didn’t look happy at the news. “When are you planning to leave?”

“After we have reunited with Thomas and Richard. It has already been six days, and I don’t have much time left.” He caught the frown on her face and it confused him. Why was she upset now? They had met just few days before and she had known since the beginning that he wasn’t staying. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t appreciate your companionship. I really did. You have given me more than you can imagine. But I need to go. What I must do is too important.”

“Of course, I understand,” she mumbled, finishing her drink in one go. Then she sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m being selfish. The only partner I’ve ever had is Rich. The others I’ve worked with have always turned out to be idiots. I love my cousin, he’s like a brother to me, but that’s the problem. We fight a lot because we consider each other siblings and sometimes I wish I could have other people in my life outside my family. You’re the first real friend I got who’s worth of that name.” She threw some money on the table. “Come on, let’s get back. We’ll need to get up early tomorrow if we want to join the others in the morning.”

Castiel nodded followed her outside and they walked side by side without speaking to the motel where they were staying. Shane seemed lost in her thoughts once again and he decided to leave her alone with them, focusing instead on his owns. He was aware that he couldn’t just keep landing in random places and hoping that he would find an answer by chance. He needed to start thinking about what he should be looking for, even if he didn’t have the faintest idea at the moment. Dean had told him that he wanted “the old Cas back”, which he had interpreted as him needing to clear his mind and remember who he used to be. Whatever that meant.

Once they had reached their destination, the woman unlocked the door of the room they had agreed to share and left her bag on the bed, stirring a bit before opening the small cupboard. He instead just lingered in the doorway for a few moments, before closing the door behind his back and making his way to where the bed assigned to him was.

“There’s still a bit of whiskey left,” she announced, pulling the almost empty bottle out. “We should make a toast to our good job.”

He nodded in silent agreement, more to please her than because he was in the mood for toasting, and they went to sit on the balcony. The air was chill, but pleasant and the stars were shining brightly. Shane poured the amber liquid in two glasses, pushing one towards the angel, and then they clinked them together before sipping their drink. Castiel kept his eyes fixed on the dark sky, his thoughts inevitably addressed to Heaven, and didn’t notice that his companion was staring at him until she called his name. He turned towards her, his head slightly titled on one side and a questioning look on his face.

“I hope that my little speech about feeling lonely hasn’t bothered you,” she said, scratching the back of her head. “It was really embarrassing. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. Loneliness is an awful feeling,” he whispered, wincing at thought of his own inner void, which seemed only to get deeper and deeper with the passing time. “It’s natural to want to fight it. I understand what you feel, Shane, even if the sensation is still so new to me.” He paused for a moment. “I have never thought it could _hurt_ so much.”

“Yeah, it’s a real bitch,” she agreed with the hint of a smile, even if she was wearing the usual stare that she gave him when he was being weird. Then she turned serious again. “When I feel like that I just long for something that can help me filling the space around me. At times is my family, others some crappy show that makes me laugh or a glass of good scotch.” She looked for his eyes, her own blue orbs sinking into his. “But, at times, those things aren’t enough because what I need is of a different kind…”

The angel remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate, but the young woman simply kept staring at him, with a look that he couldn’t place. Then, without notice, she leant forwards, her eyelids flattering close. He widened his eyes in confusion for a moment, then realisation dawned on him. Shane was about to kiss him. His hands instinctively shot forwards, landing on her shoulders to prevent her to close the gap between them. She opened her eyes again, puzzled, and he shook his head slowly.

“I’m sorry, Shane, I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair,” he said as gently as he could, feeling awkward at the same time. “You are a beautiful person…woman, but I don’t have romantic feelings for you. I will be glad to offer you my friendship, but nothing more. I hope you understand.”

The woman ran a hand on her face, looking more embarrassed than anything else. “It’s fine, Cas, I should be the one to say sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she sighed, putting some distance between them. “It’s just…I like you and so I thought that we could…you know. I’m not asking you to become my boyfriend or anything. But I guess you aren’t the type who does one-night stands, are you?”

“I have a hard time to understand how humans can get so intimate with each other without sharing a deeper connection,” the angel answered, never tearing his eyes away from her. “It is something that does not make sense to me.”

Shane let out a laugh at that and some of the tension that had filled the air disappeared. “Oh God, you’re so _weird_! At times you talk as if you weren’t human yourself, are you aware of it?” She pointed out, amused. “But don’t worry, I got the point. You’re a serious guy. No casual sex, I’ll keep it mind. What a pity.” She shook her head, still grinning. “You should be more careful with your words, dude. You know, for a moment, when you had said that you couldn’t, I thought that I had been about to kiss a taken guy. I don’t do that!” Seeing that the other had remained silent she gave him a look. “You’re not taken, are you?”

“Taken?” Castiel repeated carefully, searching in his memory for a non literal meaning of the verb that could be applied to their current subject.

“Yeah, taken. In a relationship, I mean,” she explained, raising an eyebrow. Then a thought hit her. “Oh for fuck’s sake! Are you and Dean involved?”

The angel frowned in confusion once again. That conversation was getting harder and harder for him. “Are you asking me if Dean Winchester and I share a romantic and sexual relationship?” He asked after some moment of silence.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m asking,” she nodded with a sigh. Then she rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to be always so formal?”

“I tend to misunderstand what people say, so I prefer being sure of what they are asking me,” he explained matter-of-factly. The main problem was that people usually didn’t return the favour. “Anyway, no. I’m not… _involved_ with Dean.”

Shane hummed and got up, grabbing her empty glass. There was a hint of relief in her eyes. “Alright. Better this way. Now, I made the biggest fool of myself twice within five minutes, so it’s better if I go to sleep,” she announced. “You coming?”

“There is no need to feel embarrassed. I did not feel offended by your assumptions,” Castiel reassured her, looking up to meet her gaze once again. “I will stay here a little longer, if you don’t mind. Go and get some rest.”

“Fine. Thanks, pal.” She offered him a smile. “Night, Cas.”

“Goodnight, Shane.”

She went inside, leaving him alone with his worries once again. He was feeling the strong need to pray, but for the first time in his existence he realized that he had no one to who he could address. He had given up asking Father for help during the Apocalypse and after He had given him no signs about what he should do with Raphael and Crowley’s offer. He couldn’t call one of his siblings either, because in that way he would risk attracting Raphael attention. He briefly considered praying to Gabriel, but he knew that the archangel was already busy with taking care of the mess he had left behind and of the Winchesters. He didn’t wish to burden him with his anxiety as well.

The heaviness of his new solitude fell hard on him once again and he lowered his eyes, suddenly finding the light of the stars too bright for him. He felt so lost, divided between two worlds and at the same time conscious that he didn’t belong to any of them. What would happen if he didn’t find his way in time? Would Heaven’s doors be closed forever to him? Would all his sacrifice be vain and would he disappear without leaving a trace? Would the darkness of his doubts consume what was left of his essence? The quiet night had no answers for him. The silence echoed empty and meaningless around him, together with the hungry void in his chest.


	11. XI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late once again, I know! I apologise! I got busy and holidays had been even busier for me! I hope you all spent them well and got nice presents for Christmas ^-^
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

The dark quietness of her apartment greeted Charlie as she crossed the threshold, letting her rack sack fall on the floor near the door. The young woman sighed deeply as she walked along the corridor towards the living room. She was dead tired and she couldn’t wait to slip under her sheets and sleep for a whole night.

After the battle, the boys had drove her back to the motel and then the following day they had given her a ride back to Hot Springs, where she had taken the bus that would have brought her to the nearest airport. The trip had been quite long and, when she had finally arrived in Chicago, she almost couldn’t believe that she had made it back home. Gabriel had offered to take her home by flying, but she had refused. After having been possessed by a Greek demon, having fallen off a bridge, having caught a glimpse of an archangel’s true form and having stabbed the above-mentioned demon with the above-said archangel’s blade, she needed a bit of normalcy. Even if it meant spending several hours travelling.

She grabbed her laptop, letting herself fall on the sofa. She hadn’t had the time to check her email and favourite websites properly in the past three days, so she had better do it before undressing and going to bed. She needed a shower as well, but she had decided that it could have waited until the following morning. She looked through the last news and then opened the account she used for work mail. She quickly dismissed the newsletters of the company and the HR notices, her eyes wandering distractedly on the screen. The amount of useless information that the company provided them was simply absurd.

She sighed tiredly, rolling her eyes. What a huge waste of time. However, right when she had decided to ignore all the remaining emails, a name caught her attention. She blinked a couple of time, just to make sure that her mind wasn’t tricking her. It was a message from Richard Roman in person. Her heart missed a bit. Crowley had been right. The great boss, or rather, the monster that had taken his place had contacted her. She opened the email with just a little bit of hesitation and attentively checked its content. The message was brief and formal, and especially didn’t give any additional information. Roman was asking her to come to his office the following afternoon, but the reason of the meeting was not mentioned. He had added that, if she still wasn’t well, she could give a call to his secretary to take another appointment for a later date. It took her a moment to remember that the King of Hell had seen that she obtained a sick leave, so that she had all the time to deal with the Winchesters.

Charlie stared at the screen for some moments, deep in thoughts. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to find herself face to face with another monster, not after what had happened with Anaplekte the day before. The temptation to call the number she had been provided and tell that she had rather wait another couple of days because she was still very ill was very tempting, but she had the feeling that she would still be very nervous once in front of the Leviathan, no matter how much time she would give to herself. After all he was a creature powerful enough to worry the Devil himself, so there would have been something very wrong with her if she hadn’t been at least a bit scared.

The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts and she reached out for it, wondering who could be texting her. She didn’t have many friends and they usually sent her emails or messages on social networks. Normal text messages were outmoded in her clique. She frowned a bit, seeing that the sender was a number she didn’t know, but her puzzled expression immediately turned into a smile as she read the content.

“ _Hey there, girl! It seems that I’ve got a phone now! You back home? We are, if this dump can be called like that (don’t tell the boys I’ve used that word to describe their friend’s house). Aaaaand I’m already BORED to death. Research, research, research. Not my thing, but I do my best. Hope you’re doing something more interesting. Call me sometimes! No need for me to sign this, right?_ ”

She shook her head, amused. She was receiving text messages from an archangel. If someone had told her that this would happen before she had met Crowley she would have advised them to see a good psychiatrist. She hit the reply button and quickly saved the number before texting back.

“ _Hello, bitch! Yeah, I’m back. Not so much fun here, but surely more than there! Poor you! Well, you can always play one of your Loki tricks to pass the time, can’t you? Call you soon!_ ”

“Aren’t you getting a bit too friendly with that archangel?” A voice asked from next to her, making her jump. “It’s _inconvenient_ , considering who you’re working for.”

“For fuck’s sake!” She exclaimed in a loud voice, caught off guard, turning quickly in its direction. She knew too well to whom it belonged too so she didn’t hesitate to glare at her guest. “Crowley! Give a girl some warning! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

The demon smirked, amused by her reaction, moving away from the spot where he had been peering over her shoulder. “Welcome home, darling,” he mocked with a fake sweet tone. “Jumpy, aren’t we? You should relax a bit, at least when you’re in a safe place.”

“I’m not jumpy. I’m just not used to having the King of Hell perched on my shoulder!” She talked back, a bit irritated. She was far too tired for bearing her employer’s game in that moment. “It’s not something that happens every day, in case you didn’t know. Humans usually don’t even know that you exist.” She glared at him even harder. “And, just for the record, I make friends with whoever I want. Besides, you should be happy. The closer I get to Gabriel the easier it will be for me to get information about him and the boys.”

The Devil lifted his hands in surrender. “Never argue with a woman, they say. And I’m starting to understand why,” he commented with a light scoffed. Then he turned more serious. “You have a point, my dear, but you should be careful not to get too close to them,” he warned calmly but firmly. “I know how you humans are. You tend to let feelings in your way a bit too easily when you get attached. Don’t force me to intervene. You wouldn’t like that.”

“I know how to keep my feelings under control,” Charlie stated again, turning her eyes back to her computer. She hadn’t liked the tone he had used and she hadn’t appreciated the once again veiled threats she had received. However, for once decided to leave it be, since she was really too tired to discuss. Instead she lifted her laptop so that her speaker could look at the email that was still open on the screen.

“I have some news,” she announced, changing the subject without waiting for an answer. “You were right. Richard Roman, or whoever he is now, has contacted me. He wants to see me tomorrow afternoon, but he hasn’t said why.”

Crowley hummed, satisfied, instantly focusing on the piece of information he had been given. Finally his plan was starting to work out. “It seems that your moment has come, my dear. They’re waiting for you on the stage,” he commented in a pleased tone, nodding slightly to himself. “Are you ready?”

She ran a hand on her face. “Is that a rhetorical question?” She groaned shaking her head. “I’m still having trouble to digest what happened to me in the last week, and you ask me if I’m ready to meet a _Leviathan_! The answer is not at all! I’ve almost died because of a monster, you can’t blame me for not being eager to meet another!”

“It won’t be as bad as you expect. Roman needs you, so he has no reason to hurt you. Unless he finds out that you know what he really is and especially that you’re trying to trick him,” the demon pointed out matter-of-factly, crossing his arms on his chest. “You being nervous won’t give you away. You’re usually a bit shy with strangers and this is your great _boss_. They expect you to feel uneasy. Just try not to stare at him too much or in an odd way. And especially don’t make inappropriate comments about not human things. You’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, of course! It’s easy for you. I’m the one who has to face the thing,” she mumbled unhappily, playing with her phone. “I’m not saying I’m not doing it. I agreed to that. Just…I’m not that sure that it will work out well.” She looked at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty and a bit of fear. “What if something goes wrong? What if they find out that I’m trying to double-cross them? There’ll be no freaking archangel to save my ass tomorrow.”

The King of Hell made a face. “I’d rather not see it happening,” he answered elusively. He knew where the woman was trying to push him and he had no intention to go there. She would just have one more reason to freak out and that wasn’t good considering how close they were to the most delicate part of his plan.

“Well, thanks. Me neither. But what if it does happen?” She pressed, in a firmer tone. She was sure that she already knew the answer, but she wanted to see if the other would be able to translate it in nice words as he usually did. “I’m asking you if I’d be left to face the consequences of your stupid plan or if you’d do something to help me out.”

Crowley bit back an exasperate sigh. There they were. “If they found out that you work for me, my plan would be completely compromised. And they would for sure if I showed up and stood up for you,” he answered calmly, bringing his hands behind his back. “I’m a business man, Charlie. And, as the King of Hell, my affairs have the priority on everything else. You knew the risks when you took the job. You’re working for the Devil after all.”

“So, you’ll let me die by their hands,” she stated in a harsh tone. She couldn’t say that she was surprised, but still she had hoped for some kind of support. Very naive from her part. “Such a grateful partner I have.”

The demon rolled his eyes lightly. “Don’t be like that now. I wouldn’t enjoy it, but it would be unavoidable. But don’t worry, I wouldn’t allow them to keep you. They’d torture you to get to know who you’re working for, or they’d trick you into telling them. And of course I can’t allow that.”

“So you’ll have me killed by one of yours minions.” Charlie threw her hands in the air. “And how is that supposed to reassure me?”

“It would be quick and painless,” the King of Hell stated, opening his arms widely. “I don’t think that our Dick would show you the same courtesy.”

“Well, thanks for your mercy.” Charlene snorted sarcastically, turning away from him. She felt the impelling need to punch him in the face, but she did her best not to. It wouldn’t have done her any good. “Just for the record, I wouldn’t betray you. Not willingly at least.” She stated then, in a quieter tone. “Unlike you, I’m a loyal person, even if my “business partner” is the freaking Sauron of this world. I wouldn’t give you away, not even if they tell me that it was the only way to save my sorry life.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by that admission. “Are you so worried about what I could do to you if you betrayed me?” He questioned, with a curious look on his face. “Or is it the thought of Hell that scares you?”

“No, you _ass_. I don’t give a damn about what you could do to me. Well, that’s not completely true, but I have the feeling that Roman would do much worse things to me if I refused to talk,” she answered, shooting him a new glare. Her tone was still flat, but less harsh than before. Could the demon really not see what she was saying? “The fact is that we made a deal. You’re my partner, even if you’re a complete jerk and I don’t like you at times. Like, at all. But still, the main thing doesn’t change. That’s why I’d keep quiet. For your sake.”

The King of Hell was quiet for a moment, his dark eyes carefully studying the young woman, who however wasn’t looking back at him anymore. Humans were strange creatures, he had always thought that, even before becoming a demon. Some of them never ceased to surprise you. The strength with which they defended their ideals, in every circumstance, was simply unbelievable. The honesty that Charlene was showing him could have maybe been considered foolish by others, but he truly appreciated it. She wasn’t stupid or blind, she knew well that she was expendable for the sake of his business. And yet she was there, promising him not to betray him, even to the detriment of her life. It was simply amazing, in a way. He had always appreciated property, and in the past he had punished every demon who hadn’t respected the terms of the contracts they made. It was a basic rule for a successful business: keep your side of the deal. If you cheated, then no one would want to do business with you anymore.

“Very well. Try not to get caught and we’ll both be happy,” he spoke again in the end, his voice calm and collected. Then his lips curved into a sly grin. “It would be a pity if I had to throw away such an important deal only because you hadn’t been able to act as you’re expected to. In that case, I’d be forced to hope that those to angels and their human pets find a way to get rid of the Leviathans. If not, we’ll be all in great troubles. And, trust me, I don’t like betting on the Winchesters, even if they usually do their job. Not to mention the fact that I’d make a fool of myself for putting a human’s life above Hell’s well-being.”

It was Charlie’s turn to stare, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Wait, _what_? But you just say that your business comes before anything!” She pointed out, puzzled and confused. She gave him a suspicious look. There had to be a trick somewhere. “Are you messing with me?”

“Business _does_ come first. But you said it yourself: we have a deal, so our bond is business as well,” he explained patiently, but internally he was enjoying her astonishment. _Maybe_ he was messing a little with her. “I promise that no harm would come to you while working for me and I’d be an awful partner if I didn’t keep my word. I firmly believe in honesty, at least when I make a contract. Or, in this case, start a partnership with someone who is ready to show me the same level of loyalty.”

“Why should I trust your word?” Charlie questioned, but raised a hand to prevent him from answering. “Don’t, please. I’m too tired for your complicated speeches. I…I’ll just take what you say, as a proof that I’m serious about this…” She waved a hand between them. “Business-ship? Whatever it is.” She hesitated for a moment, running her fingers in her hair. Maybe she shouldn’t allow herself to believe his words. Crowley was a demon and demons were supposed to be evil, selfish, sadistic creatures. And yet something in his tone pushed her to take the risk. “And thanks,” she added in the end. “For saying that you’d literally put up with a Hell of complaints just to stand up for me. Even if it’s a lie…Well, it was nice to hear that, _partner_.” She stood up and held out a hand towards him.

Crowley stared at it for a moment, then he grabbed and shook it. “You’re getting in serious troubles, my dear girl,” he warned with a slightly amuse smirk. “No sane person would ever treat the Devil so friendly. And we don’t want anyone to think that you actually like me.”

“Then I’m not as sane as you think. And you’re not that bad, after all. Even if you let me fall off a bridge. Besides, I’m already sure that you do like me, _darling_ ,” she talked back with a knowing expression, a smile threatening to blossom on her lips. The demon’s handshake was firm and sure, but his skin was oddly cool. “And, trust me, I’m not the only one who’s risking troubles by making this deal.”

“I can’t deny it. My bad.” The King of Hell shrugged. “I guess it is worth it.”

They both looked down at their still joined hands and, after a moment, the creature freed his own from her grip. He took a step back, signalling that he was about to excuse himself.

“I advise you to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be an important day for both of us,” he said quietly soon after. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Call me when you’re back home.”

“Sure. I’m really tired. And I guess you have something important to do. You always do after all. Running a kingdom can’t be easy,” she nodded, biting back a yawn. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. If I survive.”

“I’m sure you will. Have a nice evening, Charlie.”

“You too, Crowley.”

She had barely had the time to speak the last three words that the demon was gone. She switched her laptop off and stirred, heading towards the kitchen. She could use a cup of hot chocolate to relax her nerves. Maybe the sweet taste would make her forget for a bit what was waiting for her the next day and allow her to get some real rest. She put the mug in the microwave and glanced at her phone. Gabriel had sent her a photo of some mythology books and a crying emoticon. She shook her head, with a small chuckle. Poor guy. She really pitied him in that moment, archangel or not. Even if researching couldn’t be that bad compared to facing the Leviathans’ boss.

As soon as it was ready, she took a picture of her steamy cup and texted it back to the former Trickster. “ _Try it. It helps a lot with gloomy moods!_ ” She wrote as a caption. Then she left the mobile in charge and headed towards the bedroom, yawning. She would worry about Roman when she woke up. Now the only thing she wanted was getting some sleep.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Sam sighed, quickly scanning another pile of books. He couldn’t find anywhere the one he had been reading the evening before. He had already spent fifteen minutes looking for it, but in vain. He was sure that he had left it together with the others he had selected from Bobby’s library the previous afternoon, but it was nowhere to be found. It had disappeared.

“Sammy! Breakfast’s ready!” Dean’s voice called for the kitchen in that moment, filling the quietness of the house. “Be quick or it’ll get cold!”

“Coming!” He called back, putting down the last group of volumes he had checked and running a hand in his hair. He would keep searching later. They hadn’t eaten too much the evening before and he was a bit hungry.

With a new sigh, he walked into the next room, where his brother and Bobby were already sat at the table. He joined them with a small nod of greeting and poured a cup of coffee for himself. Dean was eating a huge slice of the pie that was set in the middle of the table and that looked suspiciously similar to the one that Gabriel had made them in Mountain Pines, while the old man was reading a newspaper.

“Hey, have you seen the book I was reading yesterday by chance?” He asked, cutting a small piece of the sweet for himself too. He didn’t share his sibling’s sweet tooth, but the archangel’s homemade food was simply amazing. “I’m sure I left it on the desk when I went to bed, but I can’t find it.”

“You mean that idiotic volume filled with children fairy tales?” The older Winchester questioned back with his mouth still half full. A bit of sweet fell from his lips, but he immediately caught it with his fingers, stuffing it in his mouth again.

“Those aren’t fairy tales, but old legend, Dean,” Sam corrected him, rolling his eyes. At times he wondered if his brother ever took seriously something that wasn’t his car or his food. “Yeah, that one, anyway.”

“They looked like a bunch of crap to me,” the other hunter commented, reaching out for his mug and taking a big sip of coffee. “I read a few pages after my soap was over, but I got so bored that I must have fallen asleep on it.”

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes. “You were half drunk, Dean. I bet you don’t even remember half of what you’ve read,” he pointed out, exasperated. “Whatever. Where did you put it?”

Dean shrugged. “Back on the desk. I think.”

“What do you mean with _you think_?!” Sam exclaimed incredulous. “I need it, Dean! I still hadn’t read it all! What if there was something useful in it?!”

“Hey, I was drunk! You said it!” The older hunter protested loudly, pointing a jam covered fingers in his sibling direction. “You can’t expect me to remember exactly what I’ve done.” He then rolled his eyes. “Why do you bother? If there’s something useful for us it surely wasn’t in there!”

“Stop fighting, you idjits,” Bobby interjected, lifting his eyes from his newspaper. He couldn’t even read with all the noise that the brothers were making “You two argue more than an old marry couple. Stop wasting your breath. Dean, finish your breakfast and look for that damned book. Sam, take another one and get to work. Is it so difficult?”

The Winchesters glared at each other but nodded, even if their reluctance was evident. Sam busied himself with his food, trying not to give into the irritation that still stirred in his chest. All that situation was oddly familiar to him, but he couldn’t had said why. There was something in his mind that he couldn’t put into focus, most likely the same memory or thought that surely was giving him the feeling of déjà-vu. He tried to figure it out, but it remained just a vague sensation, no matter how hard he tried. In the end he just gave up and got up to go back to his research, shooting another nasty glance to Dean, who instead was taking his time, and receiving a similar look in response.

He had just reached the threshold when a sudden popping sound made him turn around again. Gabriel had appeared in the middle of the room, wearing only a pair of flashy red boxers made of what looked awfully like silk and an undershirt. The archangel stirred widely, letting out small a series of faint groans, and let himself fall in the chair the younger hunter had just vacated.

“Ah, my siblings don’t know what they miss not sleeping, especially in one of those awesome five-stars beds…” He commented in a cheerful tone, grabbing a biscuit. “I missed it so much when I was dead. I feel _great_.”

“Put on some clothes next time?” Dean told him, glaring at the newcomer, while Sam simply raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m _eating_ , can’t you see that?”

“So what? I’d have come here naked if I had wanted to ruin your appetite,” the archangel talked back calmly, not touched at all by his harsh tone. He chewed his cookie. “And, come on, Deano. You can stop pretending, we’re all family here. You enjoy good-looking men almost as much as you love hot, pretty girls.”

The older Winchester choked on his coffee. “Do you even listen to what comes out of your mouth? I can’t decide which the biggest crap is. Me liking dudes or you being _handsome_.” He turned to shoot a hard look at the younger hunter. “And you don’t have a say in this!”

“What? I had no intention of entering your childish spat!” Sam protested loudly, opening his arms. He couldn’t understand why his brother had to drag him into the discussion every time that the former Trickster was somehow involved. “I just want my book back, the one _you_ lost. So, Dean, get your sorry ass in the living room and find it.”

“It’s better than listening to this idiot,” Dean mumbled, finishing his coffee and getting up to follow his younger sibling in the other room.

Gabriel hummed, cutting himself a huge slice of pie, and snapped his fingers, turning his coffee in thick hot chocolate, a lazy smirk lingering on his lips. He _loved_ messing with the Winchesters, they always gave him great satisfaction. Feeling observed, he lifted his eyes from his breakfast and saw Bobby staring questioningly at him. He blinked once and asked, with his mouth half full of pie: “What?”

“Where’s that book, Trickster?” The old man questioned, in an incredibly patient, crossing his arms. “And don’t try to deny it, I know it was you. You did the same thing back in Ohio. Played pranks on them and made them accuse each other.”

“I hid it in your bedroom. It’s useless, there’s no information that we could need in there. I checked before stealing it,” the archangel answered with a shrug, not looking upset about his trick being found out. “I should have imagined that you’d find out about my little game. You don’t rush straight to conclusion as our boys do. Are you going to tell them?”

“I have a lot of experience and a good memory,” Bobby stated back with the same non-caring tone. Then a small grin appeared on his face. “Nah, I’ll let you children play for now. You aren’t causing any harm, so there’s no need for me to intervene. For now, at least. Besides, I want to see how much it would take them to figure it out. Last time I had to tell them myself.”

“Have I ever told you that I like your way of thinking, Bobby Singer?” Gabriel smirked widely, turning slightly to shoot a glance at the living room, from where the brothers’ annoyed voices where coming. That was going to be so much fun. “But don’t expect too much from them. It will take them a _long_ time to figure it out.”

The man snorted, shaking his head, and turned his attention back to his newspaper.

 

The morning was spent quietly for most part. Dean couldn’t find the book, not even after turning upside-down the whole living room, and in the end Sam gave up asking him to keep searching. The noise that his older brother was making prevented him from focusing on his reading and it wasn’t definitely worth the trouble. After all there was really nothing really useful in that volume, so he allowed the other to wander off in the backyard to do whatever he wanted, while he and Bobby took care of the researches.

The older Winchester didn’t even try to hide his mirth at the news and left the house without having to be told twice to work on his car. He needed to fix the last traces that the pink paint had left and clean the engine. Taking care of his Baby always helped his mood and he needed it in that moment. While they were hunting the Ker he had had a pretext that had kept his mind away from any disturbing thoughts for most of the time, but, now that he didn’t have any monster to deal with, he could no longer escape them.

He grumbled, running a hand on his face. The truth was that, in spite of everything, he was worried about a certain idiotic angel, who was off somewhere completely alone, in the middle of a fucking war. Not to mention the fact that the said creature was losing his powers quickly. He didn’t regret what he had told Castiel few days ago, because he needed to make his best friend face what he had done to them, but perhaps he now was starting to think that he should have used other words and especially a different tone. Maybe if he had, now the angel would still be with them and he wouldn’t need to be concerned about the bastard’s sorry ass. They would have surely had other fights and the atmosphere would have been tense between them because he had no intention of forgiving the other so easily, but it would have been better than knowing that he was wandering somewhere and looking for only-God-knew what.

He grabbed a cloth and slipped under the car. The main problem was that he was angry with himself almost as much he was furious with Castiel. He couldn’t forgive the angel for having betrayed his trust as he couldn’t forget that he had let himself trust the creature so much in the first place. And that fact made him angrier than the thought of what his former best friend had done to Sam or of that he had chosen to work with a demon. He had been stupid enough to let Castiel in so deeply, revealing his weaknesses, allowing him to stand by his side without ever checking on what he was really doing.

He closed his eyes. There was a reason why he had almost never had really close friends or a real relationship. It wasn’t just because the life he had chosen, but also because he had learnt at a very young age that people always disappointed you in the end. With his father, Sam and Bobby it was different because they were his real family and he would always stand up for them, no matter what they could do to him. But Castiel was another matter. He wasn’t even human and he had been almost an enemy to him at first. And yet he had fallen for the undying faith that shone in those deep blue eyes. Faith in their struggle, faith in humanity, faith in _him_. Angels needed to believe in something, it was their way of being. And after being disappointed by God, Cas had turned to him, the last person who could offer hope and comfort, to have a new point of reference. How could he have said no to the one being who had given everything up for his sake? Now he was starting to think that the choice he had made had been one of the worst mistakes of his life.

“You alive, kiddo?” Gabriel’s voice came from above him, making him start and almost hit his head against the metal above him.

Dean looked at the cloth he was still holding and realised that he had been staring at the bottom of his car without doing anything for the whole time. He felt his annoyance grew at that and he came out from under the vehicle, just to find the archangel, now fully dressed, perched on the hood. The latter was wearing a knowing grin that told the hunter that he knew exactly what had been going in his head, fact that didn’t help his already bad mood.

“Get the fuck off my Baby,” he ordered imperiously, glaring at him. “What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be bugging Sam or something? I was trying to work, you knew?”

“Really? I didn’t know that you could clean an engine just by _staring_ at it,” the shorter man talked back in an amused tone, not bothering to move from his spot. “You could have told me that you had superpowers, Deano! We could have compared them.” He clapped his hands. “You know how it works. I show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Shut up, Trickster. I was thinking,” the hunter mumbled, irritation clear in his tone. He wasn’t in the mood for Gabriel’s games. He never was, but in that moment his patience towards them was even thinner than the usual. He really didn’t know how Sam could bear them. He could see that his brother got exasperated too, but there was almost always a hint of amusement in his face when he scolded the creature after every ill-placed comment or joke. It was as if the younger hunter could see in them something that Dean couldn’t.

Seeing that the archangel for once was doing as he was told and shutting up, he remained quiet for a moment in turn, playing with the cloth in his hands. Maybe, since there was no denying what had been occupying his mind with Gabriel, he could as well exploit the situation and force the other to talk in turn. After all he was almost sure that the archangel had been keeping an eye on Castiel. He would have done the same with Sam in a similar situation.

“Where’s that idiot of your brother now?” He asked without a warning, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. “And don’t give me the why-should-I-know crap because I know that you’ve been checking on him.” He didn’t care if the former Trickster would take up the chance to tease him once again. He needed to know that Castiel was alright.

Gabriel stared at him for a while before speaking, titling his head on one side in a way that reminded him strongly of the younger angel. “Why are you asking? I thought you didn’t care,” he questioned back, without offering an answer. “But you do instead, don’t you, Dean? And you miss him, most likely as much as he misses you.”

Dean closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The seriousness in his speaker’s voice was even worse than his usual teasing. “Don’t answer a question with another question. No shit this time, Gabriel.” He said rolling his eyes and trying to hide his uneasiness. It was true, he missed his friend, even more than he had expected, especially considering what the angel had done to him and Sam. But he couldn’t help it. “Just tell me.”

The archangel jumped off the car. He could see the concern among the rage in Dean’s soul and that was enough to tell him that the hunter was as worried as he was about Castiel, no matter how angry and hurt he could be. He wondered briefly if his younger sibling was aware of how much the older Winchester cared for him. And, of course, the feeling was mutual. The other angel would have done everything for Dean’s sake, no matter how much it would have cost to him. Part of the reason why they were all in that situation was because Castiel hadn’t wanted to ruin the hunter’s chance to a normal life.

He looked up at the sky. He was feeling the odd need to answer the question he had been asked, just to see Dean’s shoulders relax a bit. The two of them had never got along, but they still had some things in common. Not to mention that Dean’s words had been the ones to push him to rethink his role during the Apocalypse. The real problem was that he didn’t have an answer for the human. He had tried hard, but he hadn’t been able to locate his sibling, which was driving him crazy. Castiel, of course, was still refusing to pray to him and let him know how he was doing, which only made things worse. He hated not being able to do what he wanted. Besides, as he had told Charlie, he was afraid of not being able to reach his brother in time in case of necessity.

“He’s alive and breathing,” he answered, concealing his own concern, well aware that he was avoiding the question once again. Then he added in a firmer tone, raising both his eyebrows: “You could try to pray to him. Maybe he’ll answer _you_.”

He held the hunter’s gaze for a while. He wasn’t sure that making him call Castiel would work, but if there was someone the angel would answer to it was Dean Winchester. However, he couldn’t allow the other to question him further or the other would end up noticing his turmoil. He didn’t want to explain what was going on with Castiel. He knew that he would have to, and soon, but just not yet. He needed to change the subject. And he exactly knew how. A smirk opened on his face.

“Oh, by the way. I saw Sammy rummaging in your room,” he added in a nonchalant tone. “I’ve always thought that you were the only one in the family with a passion for porn. But apparently I was wrong. Little Sammy has his dirty secrets too. And he didn’t really strike me as the type, especially after his reaction to us watching that video…”

“Wait, _what_?!” Dean exclaimed incredulous, forgetting the comment he was about to make about the former Trickster not-answer to his question. “Sam doesn’t watch or read that stuff! He’d have no reason to…” Then a thought hit him and he threw his hands in the air. “That bitch! He wants to get back at me for losing his stupid book! If he does something to my things I’ll make him feel sorry for the rest of his fucking life!”

The archangel watched him storming towards the house, his grin widening in amusement and satisfaction. He knew that he’d risk giving himself away if he got directly involved in the pranks he was secretly playing, but he enjoyed them too much and wanted to have a ringside seat to the lovely show.

With a chuckle, he followed the hunter back to the building, walking much more calmly than the other had. Poor Sam. He would never hear the end of it when Dean would notice that one of his precious issues was missing. The older Winchester would surely accuse the younger to have hidden it, while the latter would state that it was the first who couldn’t take care of his things and that he surely had lost it somewhere during a hunt. That would lead to Dean playing on Sam another prank, one that Gabriel would make worse than it was intended, and so on, until they realised that something was off. His eyes shone with mischief. He really couldn’t wait.

 

Sam let out a half growl, running a wet hand on his face in exasperation. His brother was really exaggerating. Even if he had taken his damned magazine, which he had _not_ , it wouldn’t have earned him to find fucking hot sauce in everything he had drunk or eaten during the day, not to mention on his favourite shirt. His throat now was on fire and he was really pissed off because the stain didn’t seem to have any intention of going away anytime soon, no matter how much soap he put on it or how hard he rubbed. Dean would pay for it, that was sure. And this time he would do something worse than simply crumpling a couple of pages. Maybe he could reciprocate the favour and put something nasty in his drink. Or bring a whole vegan meal for the other, since it was his turn to get the food. Or, even worse, he could do something to his car again. He let a small smirk spread on his face at the thought. He could really slash one of the tires. Like Gabriel had done back in Ohio, while he was trying to keep them busy fighting each other…

A sudden thought hit him at the memory, but he didn’t have the time to elaborate it because in that exact moment he discovered that the new bottle of soap he had opened was filled with hot sauce as well. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed until it had been too late. He let out an exasperate groan and throw it in the bin, staring at the mess he had done for a moment. That was too much.

He cleaned his hands on a towel and slammed the door open. “Dean!” He yelled, furious. “You damned jerk, come up here _now_!”

He had to wait some minutes before hearing the other’s slow steps climbing the stairs and by the time his sibling had joined him he was tapping his foot in impatience. Dean appeared on the threshold wearing a satisfied smirk, which just increased Sam’s annoyance, and leaned against the jamb, watching him without even trying to hide his amusement.

“What’s up, Sammy?” He teased in a mocking tone. “Can’t even wash a shirt?”

“Don’t try me, Dean. I’ve no patience left for your shit right now,” Sam warned him, but kept his voice low voice, looking resentfully at his once beautiful shirt. “You’re a real jerk, you know? And you’re punishing me for something I haven’t done.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” The older hunter exclaimed, crossing his arms and taking a step towards his sibling. “You stole one of my favourite magazines!”

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes. “I didn’t take your damned porn! I told you. And, besides, you lost my book first.”

“Oh, of course, the fucking book.” Dean scoffed. “And what about those horrible graffiti on my Baby? Those are far worse than losing a book!”

“Is that so? Well, _you_ started it dying my clothes pink!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

They were now standing in front of each other, their face a few inches away and wearing the same stubborn and angry expression. Dean still had his arms crossed, while Sam’s hands were resting firmly on his hips. In the end it was the younger to break the eye contact, not caring about the other gloating for having won that stupid staring contest. His mind was back on the epiphany he had had before finding out that the soap had been replaced.

“Doesn’t this all seem awfully familiar to you?” He asked then with a sigh, distancing himself to be able to lean against the sink. “As if we’ve already gone through a similar situation?”

The older Winchester looked thoughtful for a moment, briefly forgetting his irritation. Sam was right. There was something oddly familiar in that scene. It wasn’t the first time they played pranks on each other, but there was something off in the whole situation. They usually admitted everything they did, because that was part of the fun, while now they were always denying at least a part of it. “Yeah…”

“Can you see why that is?” The younger questioned again, receiving a shake of head in response. He lifted his eyes. His sibling was so damned slow at times. “I’ll give you a clue then. A missing laptop, slashed tires, a college in Ohio, we hunting…”

“Son of a bitch!” Dean exclaimed incredulous, cutting him off. He didn’t need any more details. He knew exactly what his brother was talking about. How hadn’t he realised it sooner? That time they were even well aware of having a Trickster walking around them. “It’s _Gabriel_! Why didn’t we realise before?!”

“Because he’s awfully good at this. And we’re terrible when it comes to trick each other. I’ve arrived at the conclusion almost by chance a moment before I called you up here,” Sam answered with a sigh. “Do you believe me now? I didn’t draw a huge graffiti on your car, nor did I steal your porn. And you didn’t dye my clothes pink or lost my book. It was all _him_.”

“We’re so _stupid_! He tricked us again. In the same fucking way!” The elder groaned unhappily, feeling the need to slap himself. “The bastard knows that we just throw ourselves at each other when we start fighting. And he exploits it.” A determine frown appeared on his face. “But he isn’t getting away with it so easily this time. We’ll get back at him on his same ground.”

“Dean, don’t be an even worse idiot. You can’t beat the God of Mischief on his same ground. And Gabriel has that title for a reason,” the younger hunter tried, patiently. The last thing they needed was one of his sibling’s brilliant ideas. “We’ll just go to him and tell him to stop. I don’t want to deal with useless troubles. We’ve got more important issues to deal with right now.”

“We tricked him twice already, we can do it again,” the other pointed out stubbornly, determination shining in his eyes. “I’m fucking tired of him messing with us. Besides, he isn’t a real trickster. And we’re good at dealing with angels. We stopped an Apocalypse, for fuck’s sake!”

Sam shook his head, worried by the expression that his brother was wearing. “Dean, I still don’t think it’s a good idea. And what are you planning to do? Ruining his snacks? Trapping him in a circle of holy fire for a day? It would annoy him, but I think that we’ll just get to have him playing even more pranks on us.”

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure out the right way to show him that playing us is an awful idea,” Dean claimed firmly. “You’re with me or you’re against me. Your choice, Sam, I don’t care. I just thought that you wanted to get back at him for all the times he has embarrassed you.”

The other hunter lifted his eyes, and then sighed. He had a very bad feeling about the whole affair, but he knew that his brother was too stubborn to see how stupid his idea was. The only way he had to avoid the worst was keeping a close eye on him. “Fine, I’ll help you,” he agreed in the end, even if with reluctance. “But if it doesn’t work, you’ll have to admit that I was right.”

“Deal,” the elder nodded, soundly too satisfied and excited for Sam’s likings. He smirked a little, while the shadow of an idea started to fill his mind. “Now we just need to find a nice and effective way to teach the asshole a lesson.”


	12. XII.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Yeah, late again, it know. I apologise. I'll try to post again next Tuesday or before, to make it up a bit to you!  
> So, for those who were eager to see Castiel again, this chapter is completely focused on him (with a bit of Charlie towards the end!). I hope you'll like it ^-^
> 
> Please, let me know what you think of the story! Feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

Castiel stared at the landscape running before his eyes through the car window. From the driver seat Shane was telling him about a particularly fun hunt that had kept she and Richard busy a couple of years before, but he wasn’t really listening. His thoughts were elsewhere, occupied by an odd feeling he couldn’t work out and that made him restless. He wondered if it was some kind of foreboding, a warning that his fading Grace was trying to send him. It could have been, but he hadn’t been able to interpret those signals for some time by now, so it was impossible for him to grasp its real meaning.

“Cas? Are you alright?” Shane asked in that moment, snapping him out of his thoughts. She had to have noticed that he wasn’t listening to what she had been saying. “You’re even quieter than your usual self. Are you feeling uncomfortable for what happened yesterday?”

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What are you referring to?” He asked, sincerely puzzled, as he tried to scan the events of the previous days to find an explanation to the woman’s question.

She sighed shaking her head. “Me almost kissing you? Remember?” She answered, but then she shook her head. “Never mind. Apparently it’s not what’s troubling you. And I’m glad. I’d never forgive myself if I had ruined our friendship for something so stupid.”

“You don’t need to feel guilt or uneasy for your actions, Shane. I told you last night,” he reassured her calmly. Then he titled his head on one side. “Are we…friends?”

She glared at him. “Of course we are, you weirdo! Come on, I’ve been confiding you all my embarrassing secrets and we talked about lots of emotional stuff!” She answered firmly, half amused and half exasperate. Castiel was impossible at times. “That’s what friends do. You told me yesterday that you’d be glad to give me your friendship. But apparently you haven’t realised that you’ve already done it.”

“But there are so many truths about me that you don’t know, Shane,” the angel pointed out, looking away. He was sure that the woman wouldn’t have looked at him in the same way if she had known what he was and what he had done. “Truths that are essential to understand who I really am. You don’t know the wrongs that I have done, the sins that I have committed. How can you trust someone who has so many secrets?”

“You saved my _life_ , Cas. That’s enough for me,” she pointed out, shrugging, her eyes looking for his. “I don’t know what you’ve done to think so low of yourself, but there’s something I know for sure: whatever you’re hiding won’t change that I’m alive thanks to _you_. Your secrets perhaps will explain why you’re so weird, but nothing more. One day you’ll tell me, I’m sure of it, but not yet. I’m a curious person, but I know when to mind my own business.”

Castiel nodded, even if it was clear that he didn’t agree with anything she had said, and went back to stare at the window, captured once again by his obscure presentiment. He had learnt how stubborn his companion could be and by now he knew that there was no use in trying to make her change her mind. She was so much like Dean in that. He frowned even more at the thought of the hunter. He wondered how he and Sam were. He was sure that Gabriel would do a good job watching over them, but he still felt longing for his friends’ company, Dean’s in particular. He forced himself to push that thought away. He couldn’t dwell on it, not until he had found what he was looking for.

The young woman sighed again seeing that the conversation was fated to stay one-sided and decided that she could as well just avoid talking. Maybe they both could use some alone time in their head, and some music too. Their destination shouldn’t be too far. She switched the radio on and grabbed her cell phone to look at the time, but it started ringing as soon as she touched it. She quickly lifted it up.

“Shane speaking,” she answered. She listened for a few moments and then her eyes widened in astonished horror. “What?! How…What happened?!” She exclaimed, her voice a bit more piercing than usual. “Bastards! I swear…Yes, sorry…About an hour. Sure…Got it. We’ll get there as quick as possible. See you there, Uncle.” She put down the phone and frowned deeply, her lips close in a tight line as she sped up.

Castiel turned to look at her questioning. In her eyes he could see anger and especially worry, and maybe even fear. He could feel the tension that stiffened her shoulders spread in the air around them. Something had happened, something terrible, he could sense it clearly. The lines on her forehead deepened slightly as she silently turned slightly towards him.

“Shane,” he said simply, not feeling the need to add anything else. It wasn’t a question, but its meaning was crystal clear.

She stared at him for a moment and then spoke: “Richard’s been captured.”

 

The rest of the ride was spent in a tense silent. Shane drove fast, much more than it was allowed by the speed limits, but none of them cared about it in that moment and luckily for them the road was not busy, which made the ride even quicker. Castiel’s foreboding had got stronger and stronger since the news of Richard’s abduction and he couldn’t help thinking that they were about to throw themselves in whatever trouble was causing his nasty feeling. For a moment he thought about telling the young woman about it, but in the end he decided against it. He would have had to give too many explanations he couldn’t offer. So he remained silent and watched the countryside ran before his eyes for the next half an hour, until they reached the city.

Once there, Shane slowed down a bit, attentively checking the road signs to find the motel where her uncle and her cousin were staying. It took them ten whole more minutes to arrive there and when they got off the car they found Thomas waiting for them outside the door of the room he and Richard had been occupying.

“Come in,” he ordered in a hurried tone. “I’ll bring you up-to-date and then we’ll go. I’ve already prepared whatever we could need.”

The other two obeyed and quickly got inside, and the older hunter closed the door after them. Castiel noticed that the room was kept much tidier than Dean’s and Sam’s usual ones. There were no empty food boxes or dirty clothes spread around. The weapons for their next mission were tidily set on one of the beds, just waiting for them to pick them up. He shot them a brief look, taking notice of the big amount of holy water, iron bullets and salt present. They were about to hunt a bunch of demons apparently.

Thomas took a few steps around the room, clearly trying to calm himself down and then started to talk. “We had just finished taking care of the killings. A weak pagan god, nothing too complicated. We went to a bar to drink something to celebrate and that was when I overheard two men talking. One of them was insisting on the fact that he had seen five guys kidnapping a young woman the night before. His companion asked him why he hadn’t gone to the police and he answered that they wouldn’t have believed him because he had seen the men’s eyes turning black. The other had tried to make him admit that it could have been just because of the dark, but he never changed his version. We’ve approached them and asked some questions. The man had to be completely nuts or drunk because he had followed the group to their refuge. Luckily they hadn’t notice him.”

He made a small pause and ran his fingers in his greying hair, resuming his pacing too. “Rich and I decided that it was worth investigating. We got to the place, an old abandoned farm, and found it empty, so we went inside. And then we made a big mistake. We separated. He went looking for the girl, while I wandered around trying to find out what a bunch of demons could be doing there. I found some papers, but while I was going through them they came back. I manage to get out, Rich didn’t.” He ran a hand on his face and sigh. “He’s alive, I’ve stayed hidden for a while near the refuge. I saw them manhandling him into the barn. Maybe the girl is there too, if they haven’t already killed her. I couldn’t do anything. They’re expecting me to come back and I can’t deal with them all alone.”

“Have you managed to get some information out of the paper you have found?” Castiel asked, in a completely calm. He could see Shane’s same turmoil in the man’s eyes, but there was no time to be tactful. Demons were unpredictable and Richard was risking his life.

“They were looking for something or someone, I think,” the old hunter answered slowly, giving him a strange look. “They were tracking down specific signals, but I didn’t have the time to understand exactly what.”

“I see,” the angel nodded, still emotionless. He looked thoughtful for a moment. Maybe Crowley was planning something now that their deal had been broken. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that the King of Hell had a back-up plan. “We will figure it out once we get there. Our priority now is saving Richard.”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit, Cas! No more chatting. Let’s kick the bastards’ asses!” Shane exclaimed with determination, but her excitement was in part forced. She was still a bit pale and her lips were still strained in an unnatural way. “We need to get Rich back.”

Thomas nodded without a word and then they quickly carried what they needed to the car the car. The two humans loaded their guns, taking two each, and the older man offered one to the angel, who declined it saying that he would do fine with his blade. The answer earned him another suspicious glance and so he accepted without complaints the bottles of holy water that Shane gave him. He wasn’t good with fire weapons, but the water was much easier to use and could be a nice aid in a fight against multiple opponents. It could serve as a distraction.

While driving, Thomas explained the plan he had elaborated. Separating had been a horrible idea when he and Richard had gone to the farm the night before, but now they didn’t have an alternative. The demons outnumbered them and were surely patrolling the perimeter, waiting for the older man to show up. They wouldn’t let them in the barn easily and there was the risk that they decided to kill their hostages. A distraction was need, something that could keep most of their enemies busy while they freed Richard and the woman.

Castiel immediately took the opportunity, volunteering to conduct an attack on the other side of the farm to catch the demons’ attention. The demons would surely recognise him for what he was which meant that Shane and her uncle would have learnt the truth in turn if he battled with them. He couldn’t have that. Besides, even in his weakened state, he was still the one with more chances to be able to keep the creatures busy long enough.

The two hunters protested loudly against it, but he calmly stated once again that their priority were the hostages and that they didn’t have the time to come up with a more complex plan. The young woman kept shooting him worried looks for the rest of the ride, but he ignored them, his face perfectly blank but determine. He had managed three demons in the desert and then four angels. He was fairly sure that he could do it again, even if this time the number of his opponents would be higher.

They left the car on the road near the farm and then carefully walked their way towards the building, stopping in a hidden spot among the trees that surrounded the place. Thomas turned towards them, a resolute look on his face.

“Here we are,” he whispered quietly. He pointed one of the buildings. “The barn is there. Castiel, you should circle the place keeping in the woods until you get on the other side. Shane and I will wait for the fight to start before moving. I counted eight demons last night. A couple should remain to watch the barn, but you’ll have at least six opponents.” His eyes searched the angel’s. “Are you sure you can manage?”

“Yes,” the creature replied without hesitation. A bunch of demons was nothing compared to stopping an Apocalypse and fighting a war in Heaven. “Do not fear for me. I can take care of them. Focus on retrieving Richard.”

Shane rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “Be careful, Cas,” she said, looking at him with concern. “If it’s too much, don’t overdo. Alright?”

He gave her a curt nod and turned around, walking away without looking back. He could feel the humans’ eyes on him, but he ignored the waves of worry that their stares were sending him. He briefly wondered if they would be as concerned as they were if they had known what he was. Dean used to worry about him before his betrayal, no matter how many times he had told him that he could manage himself. The thought brought him a new pang of guilt and melancholy, but he immediately chased it away, quickening his pace until he was sure that he reached a spot where the hunters could no longer see him. Once there he spread his wings and took off.

He noticed two demons watching the main entrance, as he landed just behind the corner, hidden in the shadows. While flying he had spotted other two patrolling each side of the perimeter. The other four had to be in the barn with the hostages. He should have the time to neutralise the first two before the others arrived.

He tightened his grip on his blade and stepped out from his hiding place, ready to fight. The two hellish creatures immediately turned, sensing his presence, but Castiel was on the closest one before they could do or say anything, his sword sinking in his chest.

“Angel!” The second roared as he watched his companion fall dead on the ground. “Son of a bitch! I’ll teach you a lesson now!”

His shouts attracted the others hellish creatures and without a warning the other members of the group materialized in clouds of black smoke, circling him. He counted six figures, seven with the already dead one. It meant that only a demon had stayed behind to watch the barn and surely Shane and Thomas could handle it.

“What’s an angel doing here?” A woman in her fifty growled, her voice full of hatred. “You featherheads should just learn to mind your own business!”

“Let’s say I have come to throw away the garbage,” Castiel stated, slowly turning to be able to watch all his opponents’ movement. His free hand closed around the cork of the bottle he had tied to his belt. “However, I have more important businesses waiting for me elsewhere, so I’d prefer if we could make this quick.”

“You should have gone straight to do what need to do, little angel,” a man said, mockingly. “Now it will wait for you forever, because you won’t get away alive! And I swear you that we won’t make it a quick death for you.”

“We will see about that,” he answered and threw part of the holy water straight in his face.

The demon screamed in pain, caught off guard, and the angel quickly dashed forwards, slitting his throat as he passed him. He didn’t even try to banish them, knowing that it would be just a waste of time and powers. His Grace was already too weak.

The hellish creatures didn’t take well the fact that he had killed another one of them and immediately stroke back. He narrowly avoided a couple of knives, but in the end the woman who had spoken to him managed to grab him by the coat and slammed him on the ground. The impact made him lose the grip on his blade, which rolled away from him before he could catch it. He made a move to go after his weapon, but something sharp was plunged deep in his back, tearing a groan of pain from his lips. Someone stepped on him, pressing his ribs hard under his feet and he let out a scream as some bones broke with a nasty crack under the violent pressure. The pain exploded in his chest, flooding along his vessel’s nerves and blurring his sight for some moments. He fought it back, trying to keep his mind focused on the fight. He couldn’t give up or allow himself any sort of break or he would risk succumbing to his enemies.

With a great effort he twisted his arm grabbed the ankle of his aggressor, pulling hard enough to make him fall. He then jumped on his feet, ignoring the pain and the blood running down his back, and looked around.

“Are you looking for this?” One of the demons asked in a mocking tone, showing him the angel blade. Her vessel couldn’t be older than seventeen. “What a pity. I pick it up first. So now it’s mine. And you’ll die, little one.”

Castiel reached behind himself, extracting the knife that was still plunged in his back, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he let it fall on the ground. One moment later he appeared behind the girl, his hand going to rest on her forehead. The shock of power wasn’t enough to banish her, but it threw her on the ground, stunning her and allowing him to get his weapon back, which he use to finish her before turning towards the others.

The battle got messier and messier, but in the end the angel managed to kill the demons one by one. When the last body fell down he was panting, blood running down his chin and temple, and his sight kept getting blurred. His coat was ripped in many places and stained in red in several spots. The wound on his back was still bleeding and so did the cuts on his hands and the deep slash that run on his chest under the torn cloth of his shirt. He glanced quickly at the corpses, to make sure that they were all dead, and then stated to walk towards the barn, ignoring the dull pain coming from his broken ribs. His sternum had to be cracked too, considering the twinges coming from the centre of his chest. It would take him a good while to heal fully.

The farm was quiet as he passed the old building. The wood of the walls was already deteriorating and gave forth a damp smell. He crossed the space that divided the barn from the rest of the constructions and entered the opened door. Shane was kneeling besides a body, most likely the demon they had fought, checking his pulse. He was still breathing, which meant that they had managed to exorcise him.

She young woman lifted her eyes on him as he stepped closer, her hand running to her gun, but she stopped her movements once she recognised him. “Oh my God!” She exclaimed seeing his poor state. “Cas! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine enough. I should probably change my clothes,” he answered studying without concern the blood on his hands. “They are all dead. Where is Thomas?”

“In the next room,” she answered and he could see that she was struggling with the need to check his wounds. “With Rich and the girl.”

“So she is alive.”

“Apparently. Come on, let’s join them.”

The young woman got up and led him among the haycocks to the second part of the barn. Thomas was standing in the middle of the room, his hands on Richard’s shoulders, speaking softly to him. The other hostage was a few steps away from them, her back to the entrance. Shane crossed the threshold to join her family, but Castiel froze on the doorstep, his eyes locked on the other woman. She turned around, sensing his intense gaze on her, and the astonished expression she gave him quickly turned into a malicious smile.

“Oh, look at who’s here! Isn’t it the Winchesters’ pet?” She commented in a mocking tone, running a hand in her messy black hair. “It’s been a while, honey. How’s that you have new playmates now? Got tired of the old ones?”

“Meg,” Castiel said, his voice dark and dangerous. “What are you doing here?”

“You know her?” Shane interjected surprised, her eyes wandering between the two.

Meg ignored her, her gaze never leaving the angel. “Crowley’s after me, you should know that. Those idiots you and your little friends killed had the order to bring me to him. Apparently I owe you my life, Clearance. Again,” she explained, never stopping smiling. She held out a hand towards him. “I know that Crowley is after you too. Why don’t we join force? And I heard that you’re having troubles with Raphael too. Together we could find a way to get rid of them both.”

Castiel stared at her even harder, but made no move to accept her offer. “I don’t work with demons,” he stated coldly, starting the three hunters who turned towards the woman, a look between astonishment and distaste on their faces.

“Oh, is that so? You’re being a real hypocrite, _angel_. I’m disappointed with you. Have you already forgotten your little deal with the current King of Hell?” She mocked, crossing her arms. This time the humans turned towards Castiel, and he couldn’t say if they were more shock about by the fact that he was no human or by the said deal. “Besides, after what happened during our last encounter, I thought you had a soft spot on me.”

He slightly grimaced at that. “I acted instinctively. It meant nothing.”

“Oh, you really know how to break a girl’s heart, don’t you?” She said in a fake hurt tone, bringing a hand to her chest. Her smile became cruel. “And not only girls’. Your dear Dean must be really hurt by your betrayal, isn’t he? You ruined everything, Clarence! What a shame.”

Castiel felt a pang of guilty rage flaring up inside him at those words. His blade suddenly appeared in his hands. “Don’t you dear to mention Dean. You know nothing!” He exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly and a power he didn’t know he still had rushing through his body. The light of the barn went off and after a second of darkness a flash lit up the room again, showing the shadow of the angel’s wings.

The demon took a step back, her expression filling with tension. “Susceptible, aren’t we? I must have hit a nerve,” Meg tried to mock as the lights came back, but her voice was shaking slightly. She hadn’t expected him to be still so powerful. “There’s no need to get so angry.” She did her best to pull herself together, straightening her back. “Anyway, fine, suit yourself. Deal with your troubles alone. Even if I can’t really see what a little fallen angel like you can do so far away from home and from his precious friends.”

“I could kill you as a start,” he stated, in a threatening tone, lifting his blade.

“Touché,” she answered, raising her hands in surrender. Then she shot him a defiant look. “But it’s not over. I’ll see you soon, Clearance.” And she was gone before he could do anything.

An awkward silence fell on the room. The angel could feel the three hunters staring at him, so he put his blade away and turned slowly towards them. Shane was looking at him still in shock but mostly in disbelief, while her cousin wore a confused expression, as if he didn’t know how to react to the news. Thomas was calmer and he was studying him, deep in thoughts.

In the end it was Richard who broke the silence. He cleared his throat, clearly nervous, and offered the shadow of a smile to Castiel. “So… _Angel_ , uh?”

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“Well, son, you have a lot of things to explain to us,” the older hunter interjected. He stepped closer to him and examined his state, lifting the hem of his coat. “But first we all need a shower and lunch. And another change of clothes for you.”

 

The motel room grew silent again once Castiel had finished his monologue. He had explained the basics of Heaven to the hunters, briefly mentioning Lucifer’s Fall and God’s disappearance. Then he had summed up the Apocalypse starting from him rescuing Dean in Hell and arriving to his oldest brothers’ defeat. He had kept most of the information for himself, giving out only the most significant facts. Telling them everything would take hours and besides he was convinced that what had happened behind the scenes concerned only his family and the Winchesters. After that, he talked about the civil war that was going on among the angels and explained what had happened between him and Crowley, skipping the part of Sam’s lost soul and almost all the details about how he had found Purgatory. They didn’t need to know about those issues either.

Once he had been done, he had sat still on Shane’s bed, holding his ruined trench coat in his hands, his eyes fixed on the torn cloth. He didn’t have enough power to remake it, not while he was still healing. He would take care of it once he would feel better. Richard was leaning against the wardrobe, watching his cousin pacing around the room, while Thomas was seated in one of the armchairs. He was the only one who was still watching the creature.

“Well, this explains why you’re so fucking weird. You’re a freaking angel!” Shane spoke after many minutes of silent, stopping her tracks. “And also why you feel so guilty. You haven’t told us what you’ve done to poor Sam, but if Dean got so angry it must be something really nasty. You’re an idiot. You’ve harmed your friends! How could you?!”

Castiel lowered his head, feeling ashamed, and Richard tried to intervene: “Shane, it’s not our place to judge…”

“Shut up, Rich! I’m not done!” She cut him off, glaring at him hard. Then she turned back towards the angel. “You’re an idiot,” she repeated in a quieter tone. “But still…I can’t ignore the fact that you had the best intention of the world. You surely need to feel bad for what you’ve done, but I’m still persuaded that if Dean doesn’t forgive you he’s the most stupid person in this world.” Castiel lifted his head incredulous at that, but she went on before he could spoke. “All you’ve done for him…If I was in his place, I’d have punched you and then asked you to marry me, not chased you away. He really doesn’t see how much you love him.”

“I failed him. And Sam, and all my siblings who believed in me,” the angel stated quietly, shaking his head. “I deserve this sorrow.”

“We all pay for our mistakes, but burdening ourselves even more on purpose doesn’t help us finding a solution,” Thomas stepped in, his voice calm and warm. “You’ll get nowhere until you forgive yourself, Castiel. Even if your friend did, you still wouldn’t be able to start over. It’s your guilt that’s preventing you from finding your way. It’s consuming you slowly, destroying you piece by piece. You state that you’re looking for redemption, but what I think is that you’re persuaded that you don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

Those words hit the angel like a shock. They were so similar to the ones he had told Dean the day of their first encounter on Earth. The hunter was so filled with guilt and hatred for himself that he couldn’t believe in himself, he couldn’t see how bright and beautiful his broken soul was. And Castiel hadn’t been able to just stand and watch him denigrating himself and wasting his potential. If Dean wasn’t able to see it by himself, then he would have shown him. Because every scar, every sin, every stain was what made him so special. If those marks hadn’t been there, he would have never decided to take the fall for that odd human’s sake. Angels had been taught since the day of their creation to love God and nothing else. But when one of them, for some reason, opened his or her essence to something else, nothing could kill the devotion that would blossom inside them. That was what had happened to him when he had chosen to fall for humanity, for _Dean_. He knew that Thomas was right, but it was that same commitment that didn’t allow him to forgive himself for what he had done to the being that mattered the most to him.

“I can’t,” he let out in a whisper in the end, shaking his head. “My mistakes have been too great this time. I can’t let them go.”

“You must try. If not for yourself, do it for your loved ones,” Thomas stated, firm and severe. Then he got up. “We should leave. Our job here is done. Castiel, you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need to. If you wish to leave, you’re free to go, but I’d advise you to wait at least until your wounds are healed.”

The angel bowed his head. “Thank you, Thomas,” he said in a sincere tone. He knew that he should leave, especially after the massacre he had done among the demons. Maybe Crowley had sent some of his minions after him as he had done with Meg and he didn’t want to put the Bales in danger. He was already risking attracting his brothers’ attention on them and it was more than enough. On the other hand he knew that with his wounds he wouldn’t be able to face another serious fight for a while and he didn’t have somewhere safe where he could go. The only good place for hiding he knew was at Bobby’s, but he couldn’t go back. Not yet. “I think I’ll take your suggestion.”

“Good. Some back up is always welcomed. And you have proved to be an excellent partner,” the man nodded, sounding satisfied. “Let’s pack then. Lawrence called me. Something strange is going on in South Dakota.”

Richard immediately started to help his father with the luggage, while Shane grabbed Castiel’s arm and pulled him in the bathroom. “Off with that shirt, angel boy,” she ordered, taking out disinfectant and a needle. “Superpowers or not, we can’t let those wounds get infected.”

“You don’t have to do this, Shane,” Castiel pointed out, but obeyed and stripped anyway. “I am not weak enough yet to be bothered by human illnesses.”

“I know I don’t have, but I want to.” She offered him a small smile as she started to carefully wash the dried blood off his skin. “That’s what friends do. They take care of each other.”

He stared at her, incredulity filling his eyes. “You still want to be called my friend? After all I have told you?”

“Of course I do. I told you this morning. I won’t change my mind on you. You saved me and you stood against a bunch of demons to save Rich. That’s what matters to me,” she answered firmly, pouring the disinfectant on the wounds. “The difference is that now I know why you’re so weird. Besides, having an angel friend is lots of fun. And who can boast about having one? Winchesters aside. You’ll make me super popular!”

“No one has ever told me that I’m fun or popular,” Castiel mattered, titling his head. He could feel his wounds burn under the woman’s treatment, but it wasn’t as bad as when he had received them. “Gabriel is the one with the sense of humour. Even if it’s very questionable.”

“The brother who’s staying with you? You’ll have to introduce me to him one day,” Shane stated, grabbing the thread to start with the stitches. She didn’t even try to explain what she had meant, because with Castiel it would have been just a waste of breath. “Oh, by the way. What happened with that bitch?”

He frowned in confusion. “I am sure I have never had anything to do with a female dog, Shane.” He answered, turning his head to look at her.

She ran a hand on her face, exasperated. “Are you angels always so literal? No, don’t tell me. I bet it’s just you,” she commented with a sigh, but there was a hint of amusement in her tone. “I meant “bitch” as “whore”. And I was referring to that demon girl. ‘Cause she is a bitch, figuratively speaking at least.”

“Oh. Meg is a bitch,” Castiel mumbled pensively, too busy with considering the statement to notice the look of pure satisfaction that had appeared on Shane’s face as he spoke those words. “I kissed her,” he stated matter-of-factly after a moment. “Or rather, she kissed me to steal my sword and so I kissed her back.”

The young woman stopped what she was doing and looked at him astonished. “ _What_?! Why did you do something like that?” She exclaimed almost horrified. “And you refused to kiss _me_! Have you look at her? I’m much prettier than that bitch! Ah, what’s wrong with you, Cas?”

“It’s what I saw in the film that Dean gave me to watch. I just copied it. I thought it was how I should act,” he explained frowning. Everyone had stared at him astonished after he had released the demon from his embrace and it had made him feel even worse. “It felt…empty. I have been told that that kind of acts should demonstrate love or bring pleasure to one, but it didn’t for me. I didn’t like it, not as I should have at least. The sensation itself wasn’t unpleasant, but it felt hollow. I assumed that I had made a mistake and I decided not to repeat the experiment. I felt deeply uncomfortable.”

Shane looked pensive for some moments. “I think I see your point,” she mumbled, slowly. “It happens to humans too, you know? There are some of us who don’t enjoy intimate contact with strangers or people they aren’t interested in. You didn’t get anything wrong. You haven’t felt anything because you don’t like her. That’s it.”

“I understand…” The angel let his voice trail off for a moment. “So had it been someone else, would have been different?”

“Maybe. If you like the person.” Shane played a little with the needle. She was trying to explain love to an angel. It surely ranked among the craziest things she had done in her life. “Is there someone you like?”

Castiel kept quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts. “I like Dean. He is my best friend. Or at least he was before. Sam and Bobby too. And of course I now feel compelled to name Gabriel too,” he answered in the end. “However I believe that the one you are talking about is a different kind of like.”

The young woman smirked. “You believe, uh?” She repeated in a slightly malicious tone. “Why don’t you try to kiss Dean when you go back to your friends?”

He frowned at her. “It would be highly improper, Shane,” he disagreed, shaking his head. “And Dean is interest in women. My vessel is a male. He wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“That’s because he’s an idiot,” she mumbled rolling her eyes. Lately that seemed to have become her favourite sentence. “Well, you can always give it a try. I’m sure he won’t hate you for that. Come on! If it doesn’t work, no tragedy. It’s just a kiss. At times friends kiss each other, it’s not so unconventional. I made out with Rich too a couple of times, and he’s my cousin.” They had been drunk back then, but her companion didn’t need to know it.

Castiel titled his head, reflecting on her words. She was not completely wrong. If Dean forgave him for betraying him, he would surely close his eyes on a mere display of affection, no matter how unconventional it could be. “I still think that it is an awful idea, but I want to trust you, Shane. I owe it to you.”

“That’s my angel!” The woman cheered, finally starting to stitch the knife wound in his back. “I promise that no harm would come to you. And if he freaks out, call me and I’ll kick his ass.”

“I think Gabriel will take care of that without the need of your intervention,” the angel said, absent-mindedly. He had never really thought about the nature of his relationship with Dean. They shared a deep connection, that was evident, but he had never stopped to analyse it. He knew that he had given up everything for him and that he would do it again, without hesitation. That had always been enough for him. “Human emotions are so complex and inconvenient.”

“And angels are so fucking weird,” Shane talked back with a snort. “Now keep still, I’m trying to patch you up here.”

“Sorry.” Castiel turned towards the wall once again. “Shane?”

“What now?”

“Thank you.”

Her expression softened. “You are welcome, Cas.”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlie fidgeted in the chair where Roman’s secretary had told her to wait. She had been so worried about being late that she had arrived almost twenty minutes earlier than she should have and now she was considering biting her nails, something she hadn’t done in months, to pass the time and especially to calm herself a bit. She had to admit that she wasn’t as nervous as she had been standing in front of the summoning sigil, reciting a spell to have a face to face meeting with a creature that wanted her dead, but the feeling was pretty much close to that in the scale.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. If she was so agitated just at the thought of meeting a Leviathan, she didn’t really want to imagine how she would feel once in front of him. And she would have to shake his hand. The prospect made her shiver. Crowley could say whatever he wanted about the fact that they expected her to be nervous, she was sure that her almost panicked state would most likely give her away. Or make her look like a freak, which, in this case, was definitely better. She couldn’t help a small grin remembering the conversation they had had the day before. That demon was a huge asshole, but he had been almost _nice_ , in his bitch-like way. She could see them becoming a couple of fucked-up friends, a thought that was light years behind what she had expected from their relationship the day she had met the new Devil.

“Miss Bradbury?” The secretary’s voice called in that moment, making her start. “Mr. Roman will see you now.”

She jumped on her feet, her bag falling off her legs and hitting the floor. She cursed under her breath and bent down to pick it up. “Yes, thank you,” she nodded, her voice a bit too piercing than her usual. “I…I’m coming!”

The older woman smiled her indulgently and led her along the small corridor to the office. Once there she knocked and announced Charlie, leaving her standing in front of the polished wooden door without a clue of what she was supposed to do. The IT employee took another deep breath and pushed it opened, clearing her throat to announce her presence. “May I come in?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from faltering.

“Of course, Miss Bradbury,” a warm voice answered from inside the room. “I was just about to have a coffee. I’ve ordered one for you too. I hope you don’t mind.”

Charlene stepped in, slowly closing the door behind her. Roman was seated at his desk, one of his hands resting on the keyboard of his laptop, while the other was holding the pen he had been using to sing what looked like reports. He was wearing a fine light gray suite and a dark red tie that made the colour of his eyes stand out. Those dark irises, which shone with brilliance and intelligence in a way that was almost disquieting, were fixed on her and he was offering a sharply charming smile. There were two steamy cups on the desk right before him.

“Uh, sure,” the young woman stuttered, sitting down in one of the chairs set in front of the desk and taking the mug she was offered. “Thank you, Mr Roman.”

“Dick, please, Charlie,” he corrected her, his smile widening slightly. “You don’t mind if I call you Charlie, do you?”

For a brief second she wondered if the man was flirting with her, but she immediately remembered that the guy in front of her, under his pleasant manners and gallantry, was no human at all. She forced herself to smile back, shifting on her seat. “Yeah, of course. I mean, you can, it’s fine,” she managed to say, looking down at her lap.

“Good. Now, down to business,” the Leviathan stated, folding his hands in front of him. “I’d like to exchange more pleasantries with the smart person you are, but I have a meeting that I need to prepare.” His expression became more serious, but it didn’t lose its weird welcoming warmth. “So, Charlie. I’ve called you because I’ve been watching you for a while. The rare spark you possess couldn’t go unnoticed, it’s that thing that makes humans so special, even if not everyone has the privilege to possess it. Those who don’t are replaceable, but the few lucky ones, people like _you_ , can’t be copied.”

Charlie couldn’t help making a face at those words, not exactly getting what the man was implying. Maybe Leviathans didn’t possess a vessel as demons and angels did, the simply took the form of the person. But if that was true, where was the human Dick Roman now? Most likely dead, a voice in her head whispered, and she shivered slightly. She tried to hide her confusion by sipping her coffee. “Thank you for…the compliment?”

“It is a compliment indeed,” Dick answered with a small nod. “You see, Charlie, I’m getting closer and closer to my dream. I have worked hard for what could be an eternity to fulfil it and I can’t let anything jeopardise it. That’s why I need your help. I’ll soon get my hands on some material from a man called Frank Devereaux.” He joined his fingertips. “He is threatening my company, thinking he can bring it down, but I will prove him wrong. He is a maniac of technology and informatics, so I will need someone as brilliant, if not even more, to decrypt it for me. And you are the right person for this job.”

“Uh, yeah, I think I can do it,” she answered, a bit puzzled. That wasn’t exactly what she had expected to be asked, even if she couldn’t have guessed considering what her speciality was.

Roman seemed satisfied by her answer. “Good. You’ll receive the hard disk in a couple of days. Susan, my assistant, will deliver it to your desk. After that, you’ll have three days of time. If you don’t make it, you are fired.”

Charlene almost choked in her coffee hearing the last sentence. The bastard hadn’t changed his tone slightly and was still smiling at her. Creepy, that was the right word to describe him. She cleared her throat nervously. “I’ll make it in time. This is my field after all.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” The man stood up and offered her his hand. “I’ll see you once you are done, Charlie. Good talk.”

She got up quickly, almost knocking out her empty cup, and shook it. “Yeah, sure. See you then,” she moved back towards the door, without turning her shoulder to him. “Have a nice day…Dick. And good luck for your meeting. And, uh, thank you.”

Dick smiled again and this time she had the impression that his teeth were a bit too sharp than they should. “You are welcome.”

The young woman nodded quickly and she literally fled from the office. When she passed the secretary, Susan, she grinned at her and she couldn’t help noticing how similar to Roman’s her expression was. Could she be a Leviathan too? It would make sense. She was the great boss’s personal assistant. She waved at the woman, trying not to look at her in a weird way and walked quickly along the corridor, stopping only when she was alone in the elevator. Just then she remembered to breath.

She leaned against the glass wall. The tension had almost killed her, she could still hear her heart beating hard. She really needed to start asking some kind of salary for all that. At least she was alive and still safe. She pulled out her cell phone to let Crowley know that for now his business was not in danger. She knew that the demon was coming over in the evening, but right now she needed to do something to distract herself from the unpleasant feeling that had sunk inside her. She hadn’t liked meeting Roman. He looked at you as if he could read your mind and that was very, very bad. She made a mental notice to ask her partner about the Leviathans’ powers, assuming that he knew something on the subject. Crowley had seemed pretty clueless himself on them, and it wasn’t reassuring.

She left the elevator and headed out of the building. The sensation of the sun on her skin made her feel a little better. Once at home she would have watched some episodes of her favourite series and would have hacked some too full back accounts to donate the money to a no-profit animal-rights association. That would surely cure her mood and especially make her forget about monsters and anything related for a while.


	13. XIII.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Here we go with the new chapter! And we're back to Sam and Dean ^-^
> 
> Please, let me know what you think of the story! Feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

Sam ran a hand on his face. He had known since the beginning that allowing Dean to carry on his payback on Gabriel wasn’t a good idea, but he hadn’t really understood how awful it was until he had heard his brother’s plan. What he was proposing was simply absurd. And, of course, he was the one who had the worst and most embarrassing part in it.

“Dean…This is crazy,” were the only words that he managed to say once the other was finished with his explanation. “And I’m not doing _that_!”

“Oh, come on, Sammy! As if it was the first time. And you just need to pretend!” The elder pointed out, opening his arms. He didn’t really see where Sam’s problem was. He wasn’t asking him to do anything he hadn’t done before with Gabriel. He just needed to look a bit more _willing_ this time. “It’s just an act, you don’t actually have to do anything.”

“I know that it’s just an act, but I’m still not _seducing_ a drugged archangel!” The younger Winchester protested, trying to keep his voice low. The last thing he needed was that the said archangel heard them. _That_ would have been even worse because the former Trickster would have been able to play along just to turn their plan against them in the end. “And, how are you planning to get him wasted or whatever? You know that it took Cas a whole liquor store to get drunk! And he was falling back then. With Gabriel we’ll need much more than that!”

Dean shook his head and offered him a knowing smirk. “You aren’t the only one who can do his homework, Sammy,” he said, in a satisfied tone that made the other even more irritated. However, he ignored the fact that his sibling was trying to murder him with his eyes and went on with his explanation. “You know, apparently Balthazar’s crap can turn out to be useful, and luckily a few times I actually listened to what he was saying.” He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a small jar from one of them. “I went through Bobby’s storage last night and after some hard work I found the answer to our dilemma!”

“And since when we trust Balthazar’s suggestions?” Sam asked, eyeing the pot suspiciously. His bad feeling was getting worse. “What’s that?”

“Trust me, he wasn’t lying or playing me. He was actually trying to persuade me to use this little thing on Cas.” The older hunter smiled a bit at the memory, his eyes becoming distant for a moment. Then he blinked and turned his attention on his sibling again. That wasn’t the moment to become nostalgic. “It’s myrrh.” He explained sounding proud of himself. “And for angels it has the same effect of an acid. Or something like that. The bastard will rant and rave for a while and then he’ll black out. No permanent damages, I swear.”

The younger Winchester kept looking at Dean sceptically for some moments, not persuaded. It still sounded like a bad idea to him, but from the glimpse in his sibling’s eyes he understood that he wouldn’t have been able to make him see reason. The other was already ready to put his crazy plan into motion, with or without him. He was almost tempted to ask him why Balthazar had wanted him to use the myrrh on Castiel, both to distract him from his folly and because he was sincerely curious, but in the end he decided against then. He had to play along, there was no other way out.

He nodded with a sigh. “Alright. Let’s say that I agree to this folly. Just supposing,” he gave in cautiously, crossing his arms. “How do I get him to drink myrrh? He surely knows what it does. And, knowing him, he’ll have tried it already.”

“Well, that’s up to you, Sammy. You’re the one he has a soft spot on! I’ve got my own part.” Dean rolled his eyes. He couldn’t think of everything, could he? If his brother was playing on his team he had to use his smart brain for something that wasn’t his usual nerdy stuff for once. “Don’t forget that I’ve agreed to suffer his prank for real, because just pretending could ruin our plan. And I’m sure I won’t enjoy myself!”

“That’s true. I guess we’re _almost_ even,” Sam conceded, lifting his arms in surrender, but he had to bit back a small grin at the thought of what could be waiting for the older hunter. “Alright. I’m in. But promise me that this is the first and the last time we play a prank on a trickster, fake or not. I’m serious, Dean.”

The older Winchester brought a hand to his heart. “I swear,” he proclaimed in a solemn tone, but the mockery in his voice was evident. “And I’ll let you be for a while if you play your part well. No more extra teasing or pranks. For at least a week.”

“I don’t know why, but I don’t believe you,” Sam mumbled unhappily, shaking his head. He should learn to stay out of troubles, at least when they didn’t unavoidably fall on him without notice. “Fine, let’s do this. The last time I saw him Gabriel was in the kitchen. Bobby’s out, so we should be able to act undisturbed.” He had the feeling that their surrogate father wouldn’t have appreciated what they were planning to do and he wasn’t in the mood to hear from him how bad that idea was. “Now, shoo.”

“Fine.” Dean patted his brother’s shoulder. “Go, Sammy! And try to be… _persuasive_.” He offered him a small, malicious smirk. “You know what I mean.”

The younger Winchester shot him a murderous glare before rolling his eyes and heading out of the bedroom, quickly jogging down the stairs. His brother was having too much fun for his liking. He really hoped that Gabriel would find some really nasty, non-lethal trick to play on him. After all, that was the only part of Dean’s plan that he actually liked. Pretending to be very annoyed with his sibling, which wasn’t difficult since he really was in part, and seeking the archangel’s advice to invent “the ultimate prank”, as the other hunter had called it, to put an end to their brotherly war. And he had to admit that he couldn’t wait to hear what the former Trickster would suggest. He had always found something intriguing in the creature’s twisted sense of humour, when wasn’t directed against him, even if he wasn’t going to admit it out aloud.

When he stepped into the kitchen, he found Gabriel seated at the table. The archangel had his shoulders to the door and seemed lost in his thoughts, so he had yet to notice him standing in the threshold. Sam took a deep breath and decided that, for once, following Dean’s suggestion was a good idea. Swallowing his pride, he covered the distance between him and the chair in few long strides and stopped right behind it. Then he rested both his hands on the edge of the seatback and leant a bit forward.

Gabriel snapped immediately out of his trance and lifted his head to look up at him, his nape resting between his shoulders. “Heya, Sammy boy,” he greeted, looking a bit puzzled. He had a cup filled of something hot and sweetly spicy in front of him. The smell of the drink had spread all around the room, lingering softly in the air. “What are you doing?”

The hunter looked back for a moment, his hazel eyes fixing in the other’s golden orbs, before starting to talk. “Yesterday Dean put a disgusting hot sauce in all my meals and drinks. And on my favourite shirt. And in the soap bottle I used to wash the said shirt. And I found it in my shampoo too this morning,” he stated in a slightly irritated tone, a deep frown on his face. It wasn’t so difficult for him to look upset. He was still pissed off about the shirt thing. “I need to get back at him with something that will persuade him to stop his stupid pranks once and for all. And no one can help me better than you, _Loki_.”

The archangel stared right back for a while, considering his words, and then a huge smirk opened on his face as his eyes sparkled slightly. “Oh, that’s music to my ears!” He commented, delighted, his arms sneaking around Sam’s. “I usually never do anything for free, but for you I could do an exception. And, besides, I think that the pleasure to see Deano squirming and freaking out will be a great reward.” He let out a low chuckle. He still had to get back at Dean for the way in which he had been treating him and Castiel since his return after all. “My magic tricks are all yours! Do you already have something in mind?”

Sam freed himself from the other’s grip and sat down next to him. “Actually no,” he answered slowly. He hadn’t had the time to think about that detail, he had been too busy discussing the main points of their plan with his brother. “I thought about doing something to his car, but I’ve already played that card. Other things he really enjoys are pie, that’s almost as sacred as the Impala to him, and the pretty chicks he picks up at the pubs. Even if it’s been a while since the last time he has hooked up with someone.”

Gabriel hummed quietly, a focused expression on his face. “That’s a good start,” he commented, talking more to himself than to Sam. It had been a while since the last time he had played an elaborated trick on someone and, honestly, he missed it. “We can sure manage something nasty involving the two things,” he said then, nodding to himself, looking awful cheerful. He tapped his own forehead lightly. “We just need a bit of brainstorming.”

“Hey, obviously I don’t want anything harmful or deadly,” the younger Winchester pointed out with force, not liking the former Trickster’s expression. He remembered too well what the other used to do back in Ohio and he didn’t want Dean to experience any of it, no matter how crossed he could be at his older sibling. “It’s my _brother_ we’re talking about. Don’t forget it.”

“No worries, gigantor. I’ll never harm your precious Dean! I don’t want you to be mad at me too!” The archangel scoffed, but he offered him a disquieting grin. “Also because Cassie would never forgive me if I did. And he’s a big pain in the ass when he’s angry, trust me. Not to mention that I’m trying to play the good big brother. I’ll just help you to exasperate our boy to his limits.” He leant forward without a warning, his fingers suddenly gripping at the human’s tights. “Isn’t it what you want, Sammy?”

For a moment Sam caught a weird glimpse in the creature’s eyes and he had the feeling that they were no longer talking about the same subject. He forced himself to press a hand on his speaker’s shoulder and to push him away slightly. The part of the plan where he would have to play along with the other’s advances hadn’t come yet, but still he found himself slightly reluctant to push Gabriel away now that they were alone. He had never had problems to do it in front of Dean and Charlie, but now that there was no one else he felt almost tempted not to do it. The archangel’s touch was nice and warm, and he couldn’t help admitting that he enjoyed it in spite of everything.

“Yeah, that’s the point,” he answered quickly, trying to swallow his uneasiness. “He always thinks he’s the best at this, and I want to prove him wrong.”

Gabriel seemed a bit disappointed about being moved away, but his grin returned almost immediately. “Do I have free rein on this?” He asked hopefully, giving the hunter an innocent look that didn’t suit him at all.

Sam studied the former Trickster’s face for a moment, carefully considering the consequences of his next words before answering. He knew that the archangel could come out with any possible idea and he was almost afraid to give him the permission to indulge in his whims. However, on the other side, he didn’t even know what kind of restrictions he could put. “You do, _but_ you tell me everything about what you want to do. And I have full veto power on your plans. No complaints or tricks. Deal?”

“Ah, you always find a way to spoil my fun!” The shorter man whined with a scoff. But then he nodded, even if he looked a bit less excited than before. “Deal, kiddo. But try to be open-minded and not to waste my talent.”

“I promise,” Sam agreed with the shadow of a smile. Then he eyed the steamy mug curiously. “What are you drinking?”

“Sarraba. It’s a traditional drink from Indonesia,” Gabriel answered, pushing the cup towards him. “Wanna try? It’s good, I promise.”

He nodded and took it, slowly bringing it to his lips. The heavy taste of ginger and peppercorn immediately invaded his mouth, but the spicy flavour was sweetened by some other ingredients he couldn’t identify, leaving on his tongue a pleasant feeling. Coconut milk maybe. Or something as sweet. “This is really good.” He commented, instinctively running his tongue over his lips. He smiled jokingly at the archangel. “You always treat yourself well, don’t you?”

Gabriel winked at him. “Gotta do something with these amazing powers of mine when I’m not saving the world, don’t I?” He joked, grinning back and taking a hold of his cup once again. He waved his hand and another cup appeared in front of the hunter. “Here. It’s better to discuss business with a drink.” He took a long sip. “So, Samsquatch. I think I’ve already got something interesting for you…”

Sam rested his palms against his cup, letting its heat spread on his skin. It was nice, as much as the smell, and oddly the sound of Gabriel’s voice fitted perfectly in the warm and relaxed atmosphere. He blinked a couple of time, surprised by that thought, and forced himself to focus on what the archangel was saying instead. Sometimes his own mind embarrassed him almost more than his brother’s comments about man-crushes. And the worst thing was that he was starting to realise how awfully right they both were.

 

Dean tried hard to hide his nervousness by busying himself with his third beer. Sam had spent almost all the morning locked with the archangel in the kitchen, talking about only-God-knew-what. He could have sworn that he had heard them laughing more than once and he had the horrible feeling that, whatever it was about, he wouldn’t like it. The worst thing was that his little brother had refused to give him the slightest hint of what kind of prank Gabriel and he had elaborated, stating that they had agreed that he would have to suffer it fully. When he had pointed out that, in his opinion, Sam seemed to be enjoying the shorter man’s company that morning, his sibling had told him to fuck off and he had gone back to his researches, stubbornly ignoring him. After a while, he had given up insisting, but he had taken a mental note of his brother’s embarrassment at his comment. They still had to put into action the second part of the preparation of their plan, so he couldn’t afford to piss Sam off too much. Maybe once everything would be ready.

And what how he had ended up in a pub, seated across the weirdly calm and relaxed duo and without the slightest idea of what was about to happen to him. Sam was happily chatting about something he hadn’t cared to grasp and Gabriel was listening to him intently, his chin rested on the palm of his hand. He couldn’t help raising an eyebrow seeing how easily the two interacted and couldn’t help wondering where Sam’s acting ended and his real affection began. But that wasn’t the time or the place to lose himself in that kind of thoughts. He needed to get away from them as soon as possible. He wasn’t ready to face one of the Trickster’s infamous pranks, no matter what he had promised Sam.

He carefully looked around him, hoping to find a nice pretext to leave the table for a while, and his gaze fell on a pretty brunette who seemed to be exactly his type. She was seating alone at the counter, slowly sipping her drink, her free hand distractedly going up and down the length of her dress-covered leg. She was exactly what he had been looked for.

He grinned satisfied and finished his beer in one gulp. “I’m going to get something else to drink,” he announced in a nonchalant tone. “You guys want something?”

“We’re fine. Thanks, Dean,” Sam answered, shaking his head in his direction, before turning his full attention back on Gabriel. He pretended to go on talking just until he was sure that his brother was out of earshot. “Oh, he swallowed the bait,” he grinned then, as he saw the elder exchanging some words with the brunette. “I was starting to think that he’d never notice her.”

“I’d have her make the first move,” Gabriel said with a shrug. He took another sip of his anise liquor and smirked. “Now we just have to wait until he finishes all his charming thing and tries to have his way with her. And…Surprise, surprise, Deano!”

“You’re too evil to be an archangel,” Sam claimed solemnly, glaring at him, but he was doing his best not to laugh. He glanced back at his sibling and at the brunette one more time. “I almost feel sorry for Dean. _Almost_.”

“Come on, Luci is far worse than me, you know that. And Mikey is too, in his own _boring_ way,” the former Trickster pointed out, his tone darkening slightly. “Not to mention Raphael. The truth is that you’re too used to Cas, Sammy. He isn’t the typical angel, you shouldn’t use him as a term of comparison.”

Sam noticed his change of mood and his expression softened a bit. He was aware of how much the other hated talking about the wars that had torn his family apart. “You aren’t typical either,” he pointed out then, resting a hand on his speaker’s forearm. “So it’s not totally wrong comparing you to Castiel. Even if you two are weird in two different ways.”

Gabriel studied him for a moment, a curious expression on his face. “I’ll take it as a compliment, kiddo.” He stated in the end, a new grin opening in his lips.

It was the human’s turn to shrug. “It is, in a way,” he answered, adverting his eyes. His gaze wondered back in his brother’s direction and that gave him a pretext to change the subject. “Look, it seems that Dean and your “girl” are getting along.”

“Well, can you blame them?” The shorter man turned as well to watch the two interacting. The older Winchester was flashing one of his most charming grins and the girl seemed unable to tear her eyes away from him. “She’s _really_ pretty. For Dad’s sake, I made her hot enough to set this place on fire! And your brother knows what he’s doing and what he has. Everyone here must have looked at him at least once since we’ve entered.”

The younger hunter raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying that you find my brother _attractive_ or am I misreading your words?” He asked, a bit taken aback. He had hardly hear the creature sincerely complimenting someone and he surely wasn’t expecting to hear him making a positive comment in Dean’s direction.

“I like the good life, kiddo, and it involves both pretty girls and hot guys. And your brother belongs to the second category, even if he’s such a pain in the ass. Objectively speaking, he is pretty damn good-looking. Even you can’t deny it,” Gabriel answered nonchalantly. It was the truth after all. “The fact that I prefer another kind of hot guys is a detail.” He shot his speaker a meaningful look, letting his eyes travel the length of the other’s body, and a new smirk blossom on his face. “Don’t you agree, Sam?”

“I’m not sure I want to have this kind of conversation with you, especially if it involves my _brother_ ,” Sam said firmly, looking away, as the archangel’s staring brought a pang of uneasiness in his guts. He didn’t even bother to answer the question, since they both knew that he agreed. Besides, he was also sure that admitting it aloud would mean allowing the archangel to bring his flirtation to an even more shameful level and he didn’t want to have to deal with it. Instead, he turned the conversation back to their targets. “They are moving.”

The shorter man snorted, letting him know that he had rather keep on discussing their previous subject, but didn’t comment and followed his gaze. The girl had got up after whispering something in Dean’s hear and was now pulling him towards a half hidden door behind the counter. The older Winchester seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end he shrugged and eagerly followed her, them both disappearing in the next room.

“I give him…five minutes,” the archangel claimed, going back to his glass. “Have you spoken with our waitress?”

“Yeah, when I said I needed to use the restroom,” Sam nodded, his lips threatening to break into a huge amused grin at the thought of what was about to happen in the other room. “She was quite happy to help us. Apparently she has a soft spot on small pranks.”

The former Trickster met his eyes, pure mirth making them shining more than they usually did. “Good. Now, all we have to do is waiting,” he stated, in a softer tone than one would have expected. “I wanna do this again with you, Sammy. I’ve never had a partner in my games, but now I see what I missed. It’s more fun when you can share them with someone.”

The younger hunter had to nod in agreement. “Your Trickster’s stuff isn’t exactly my favourite pastime, but I have to admit that it’s fun, from time to time,” he answered quietly, his eyes lost in those golden irises. He had noticed it before, but he couldn’t help thinking once again that they were simply gorgeous. He was most likely looking like an idiot in that moment, but he really couldn’t tear his gaze away. He would never be able to honestly tease Dean about him and Castiel staring at each other for such a long time because he himself was starting to develop the same habit. Looking away from an angel’s eyes was almost impossible. He forced himself to keep on speaking. “That’s why I play back when Dean starts his prank wars. So I guess I could work with you again sometimes, in the future.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” the archangel claimed and raised his glass playfully towards him. That evening was turning out even better than he had expected. He and Sam were actually bonding like friends did, and that was something he hadn’t anticipated at all when he had stepped in to prevent Castiel from swallowing Purgatory. He had to admit that he was starting to like that development. “Shall we toast?”

“Why not?” The hunter answered readily, clinking his own glass with the other’s and watched Gabriel drink it all in a go while he took just a small sip of his beer, hiding a smile. “To a successful job?”

The creature nodded. “Damn right. You can say it aloud, kiddo.”

Sam put down his drink and glanced at the door near the counter just in time to see it opening in. Dean literally ran out of it, quickly heading towards their table. He was wearing an expression that was half shocked and half furious and looked ready to explode. However, instead of start yelling as soon as he had reached them, he let himself fall in his seat, his face in his hands, and remained silent for a while, trying to digest what had actually happened to him.

“I hate you. _Both_ of you,” he claimed after some moments of silence. “You’ve just scarred me for the rest of my life! How could you…” He let out a frustrated groan, having a hard time to find his words, and then removed his fingers from his face. “You fucking Trickster, you are so _dead_! And Sam! For fuck’s sake! You asked _him_ help? I can’t believe it! It’s not fair! Such a beautiful girl…So hot…But she _wasn’t_ a fucking girl!”

Gabriel burst into laughter at that, loud enough to make all the other costumers turned to look at them, while Sam allowed himself a huge grin before elbowing the archangel in the ribs to make him lower the volume of his voice. He didn’t want the owner to kick them out, not before having had the chance to ruin his brother’s night completely at least.

“You ruined my _favourite_ shirt, Dean. I told you that I’d get back at you for that! You asked for it,” the younger Winchester talked back then, firmly, but he had to put all his self-control not to laugh in turn. “I warned you more than once to stay away from my things. You didn’t. Your bad.”

“Ah, fuck you!” Dean growled out again, running a hand on his eyes. “I can’t stop thinking about…Ah! I need a drink. And something sweet.” He looked away from them and raised his arm to call the waitress. “Excuse me, can I have a slice of pie, please?”

She stopped right next to him and offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we’ve no pie left. I could have sworn that there was a lot when my shift started, but apparently they must have finished it,” she explained in a sympathetic tone. “But we’ve plenty of cake if you want. It’s homemade, as the pie was.”

The older hunter let out an exasperated sigh and glared murderously at Gabriel, who was smirking even more openly. “Cake? No, no, thanks.”

He waited for the woman to leave and then got up. He wasn’t going to make a scene in front of everyone, even if his two companions deserved it. He knew that it was all for the plan’s sake, but his sibling had really exaggerated. He would get back at him for it, that was sure. “Alright, you won, Sammy. I’m fed up with this. No more pranks for a while. Happy?” He claimed in a gloomy tone. “I really need a ride or I’ll end up shooting someone in the face. Tell your angelic boyfriend to zap you home, because I’m not coming back to pick you up.” And without waiting for an answer he stormed out of the diner.

The archangel followed him with his eyes until he disappeared outside. “Whoa. Hasn’t he overacted? You know, a bit?” He commented, raising an eyebrow. “It’s just a dessert, come on! And what was wrong with cake? It’s good too.”

“I think he’s still feeling horrified about the “girl” affair. And, trust me, for him pie is not just a dessert,” Sam answered with a sigh, after having left a generous tip to the waitress for her help. “Have you ever seen him eating pie? It’s like he’s having _sex_ with it.”

“Ew. That’s sick. And if I say it, it means that it’s true!” The shorter man said, making a face. “I mean. I love sweets, I love sex, I love sweets _and_ sex, but having sex _with_ sweets…That’s something else. My kinks don’t reach those depths.”

“I agree. Why don’t we go back at Bobby’s now?” The hunter quickly proposed, before the other could make more detailed comments about the subject. He had to save all his patience for his own part of the plan. “Dean will be out for a while, so…” He let his voice trail off a bit, not wanting to spoil the “surprise” he had at home for the creature.

Gabriel raised both his eyebrows this time. “Are you offering to service me, Sammy?” He asked with a malicious smirk, leaning forwards. His palms found the hunter’s legs once again. “You know that I can’t say no to something like that, especially if it comes from you…”

The younger Winchester grabbed the archangel’s hands before they went could go far up his tights. “ _Gabriel_!” He exclaimed, feeling his face heating up a bit with both irritation and embarrassment. He had expected that the former Trickster would have interpret his words in the wrong way, that was the main point of his acting after all, but he had hoped that the other would have at least behaved a little since they weren’t alone. How naive from his part. “Will you stop molesting me? At least in public!” He sighed, pressing his fingers to his temple. “I wasn’t offering myself or anything. Just…I made something for you, to thank you for your help.”

Hearing that, the archangel stopped trying to reach for hunter’s crotch. “Really? Oh, that’s really nice from you, Sammich!” He exclaimed delighted, clapping his hands. He loved embarrassing the human, but the prospect of receiving a present from him was even more interesting. He hadn’t expected the hunter to offer him some kind of reward besides his gratitude. “What is it?”

Sam lifted his eyes and sighed again. The former Trickster looked excited as a child on Christmas Day. And he surely didn’t want to know what he was picturing to get in his mind. “Take me back at Bobby’s and you’ll see,” he almost commanded, exasperated by the other’s behaviour. Gabriel was millennia old, but he was also the most perversely childish person he had ever met.

The archangel’s smirk widened. “Your wish is my command, Sammich!” He claimed in a teasing tone and, before the hunter could do or say anything, he snapped his fingers materialising the two of them sat at Bobby’s kitchen table.

Sam had to blink a couple of times, before his mind could register the sudden change of scenery. “What the heck, Gabriel?!” He exclaimed then, astonished. It was clear that they would have been forced to fly back at the savage since Dean had taken the Impala, but he had planned to actually walk out of the pub before doing it. “What if someone has seen us?”

“Oh, come on. No one was watching. And I’ve been doing this for millennia,” the archangel protested, rolling his eyes. He gestured at himself. “Give me some credit, kiddo. Trickster, remember?” Then his annoyance quickly disappeared, replaced once again by a restless excitement. “Now, let’s deal with the important things. Where’s my surprise? Come on, Sammich! Don’t make me beg.”

The younger Winchester sighed once again, but didn’t comment any further. It would have been a useless waste of time. Instead he got up and reached for one of the cupboard, pulling a plate out of it. On the dish was set the most delicious-looking pie that he and Dean had managed to make that afternoon, while the archangel was out doing only-God-knew-what. None of them had ever been good at baking, but they had tried their best and in the end they had succeeded, also thanks to Bobby’s reluctant help, in making a good raspberry and myrrh flavoured dessert. He hid a smirk at the memory. Dean had stared at the pie with hungry eyes for five good minutes, putting all his self-control not to take a bite, and he had had to bodily move his brother away from the sweet to be able to stash it away.

Putting on a straight face once again, he went back to the table and set the plate right in front of Gabriel, offering him an innocent huge grin. “I thought it could be appropriated for us to celebrate with pie since Dean hasn’t got his own piece,” he explained, carefully studying the other’s expression. The archangel’s eyes were fixed on the sweet and were sparkling, even if his face didn’t betray any particular emotion. “I made it myself, so…Well, it isn’t surely as good as the ones you’re used to. Or as the ones you bake. But I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Sam Winchester,” the shorter man claimed in approval, as he watched the hunter cutting a small slice for himself and then leaving the rest of the sweet in front of him. He grabbed a fork out of nowhere. “Let’s see what you’ve managed here.”

Sam almost held his breath as the former Trickster picked up a small piece of pie and slowly lifted it to his mouth. If Gabriel recognised the taste of myrrh it would have been game over for Dean and him. He couldn’t help thinking that maybe he should have add more cinnamon or some other strong flavour, just to be sure that the substance could not be detected. He had no idea of what myrrh tasted like, let alone to an angel. However, now it was too late for those thoughts, so he simply instinctively leant a bit forwards in expectation as the other’s lips closed around the fork.

The archangel chewed slowly for a few seconds. “It tastes weird,” he stated in the end frowning slightly, and the hunter’s heart sank. But then he took another piece and ate it, a small grin forming on his lips. “But it’s a good kind of weird,” he went on with in an approving tone, grabbing the third forkful. “Gotta give me the recipe later, Sammy.”

Relief washed over the younger Winchester and he started playing absent-mindedly with his own slice, his eyes focused on the shorter man, who was literally devouring the rest of the sweet. Luckily, everything was going as planned and now he just had to wait until the myrrh took effect. He relaxed a bit and let a small satisfied smile blossoming on his lips. He had to admit that his brother had been right. He was enjoying their little payback on Gabriel. The former Trickster deserved some humiliation after all the embarrassing situations and the molesting he had put him through since he had joined them.

Once the plate was empty, the archangel let himself fall against the backseat, feeling oddly pleased and sated. That pie had got more and more awesome at each bite and he had thought that he could have gone on eating it forever. His mind was started to get numb, but he was feeling far too good to notice in that moment. He was too focused on how relaxed and satisfied he felt to pay attention to anything else.

When he felt something poking at his lips, he instinctively opened his mouth just to have a fork pushing another piece of the sweet on his tongue. He opened his eyes, distractively registering that he didn’t remember closing them, and saw that Sam was feeding him his own slice. His mouth watered and he straightened his position, meeting the next forkful half way, not even caring to wonder why the other hadn’t eaten his piece since the sweet had turned out to be so delicious. The hunter smiled widely at him, looking a bit too satisfied than he should have, but, before the creature could make a comment about it, the intense flavour put his mind on fire again and all he could do was moaning around the metal.

The younger Winchester kept on feeding the archangel until there was no more pie left. He couldn’t help his amusement as he watched how willing and desperate the other was for the ever next forkful and he had to bite back a chuckle at the groan that Gabriel let out when he showed him his empty plate. Considering how powerful the former Trickster was, having him almost completely under his control was a strangely fulfilling feeling. He couldn’t help thinking that he could get used to that. And he was surely going to tease the creature about it later.

However, Sam’s contentment faltered as soon as the other climbed on his lap without warning, his tights straddling the human’s hips and his arms going to hang around his shoulders, successfully trapping him against the seat back of the chair.

“Sam- _my_!” Gabriel sang playfully, before starting to giggle like a madman without a real reason. His eyes sparkled with a soft, amused golden light and the grin he offered to the hunter was even wider than his usual ones, which usually meant troubles. “I feel like…”

His voice trailed off and one moment later, instead of finishing the sentence, he quickly had moved forward and had kissed the younger Winchester, straight and hard on the lips, exploiting the human’s surprised gasp to make his tongue slip in his hot mouth. The archangel couldn’t help moaning deeply at the contact, realising how much he had missed the feeling. The human’s body was warm and firm against his own and could taste the lingering bitter flavour of the beer that the hunter had drunk at the pub, together with something else that was just and plainly _Sam_. He titled his head to be able to deepen the kiss even more, wanting nothing but devouring everything that the other could offer him. Something was awfully wrong with him, he was aware of it in the back of his mind, but once again he was too busy, this time tasting his favourite human, to care.

Sam was completely taken about by the sudden assault, even if he should have expected it. He didn’t have the time to react when the former Trickster hungrily attacked his mouth, forcing him in a deep, passionate kiss. His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to struggle a little when the shorter man shoved his tongue past his lips, but in the end he gave up resisting the stubborn insistence with which the creature was kissing him. The warmth and the sweet taste of Gabriel’s lips made all his resistance crumble and he ended up relaxing against the archangel’s body, unable to fight his own desires any longer. He let his arms encircling the other’s waist and started to kiss him back almost as hungrily. He felt the Trickster grinning against his mouth and then slowing down his pace, making the kiss less rushed and more languid.

When the younger hunter pulled away to catch his breath, he was breathing in light pants and his heart was beating unbearably fast. Gabriel’s face was still a few centimetres away from his and he had to make a huge effort to remember that he was there for a reason and not to simply give into the spark of lust he could clearly read in the creature’s eyes. He needed to get into the archangel’s room before he passed out. So he leant forwards and pressed another quick kiss on his lips, trying to ignore the fact that he had lingered a bit too longer than necessary.

“Why don’t we take this upstairs, Gabe?” He forced himself to say with a smile, his hands suggestively playing with the hem of the shorter man’s shirt. “Or rather, I’m sure that the five-star room you’ve created for yourself is much better than Bobby’s guest rooms. You could, I don’t know, create a door and I could carry you there?”

“Or I could just snap us there,” Gabriel pointed out, with a lazy smirk. He nuzzled the hunter’s jaw lightly, humming quietly. He sincerely didn’t care about how they would reach the room, he just wanted to get there and do to the human all the nasty things that he was picturing in his head. “But I’ve got the impression that you’re feeling kinky, Samsquatch. And I’m in a very good mood. So I think that we can do it your way.” He pressed his lips to the hunter’s neck and snapped his fingers. “I hope that the old Robert won’t mind being one window down.”

Sam shivered a little, feeling the archangel’s cool breath caressing his skin, and let out a small gasp when the other started to lick and suck random spots under his ear. He was aware that he would have been affected in turn by his act of seducing the shorter man, but he hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward or, especially, that his body would react so eagerly. His skin was starting to feel too hot to be comfortable.

He bit his inner cheek and forced himself to stay focused. He needed to get in the archangel’s room quickly and he was also started to hope that the creature would pass out soon, because he was afraid that he would end up taking the things a bit further than he had planned if the bastard didn’t stop whatever amazing trick he was working on his neck. And he also prayed that Bobby didn’t decide to leave his bedroom while they were walking along the corridor because that would have been mortifying. The man knew about their prank, but he and Dean had kept very vague about the details. And he had no intention in explaining him in what the healing ritual had consisted, even if he had the feeling that their surrogate father already knew, despite having kept quiet on the matter.

He stood up quickly, barely giving Gabriel the time to lace his legs around his waist, and headed towards the stairs, taking two steps at a time and trying not to think about the wet tongue at work on his sensitive skin. Luckily the old hunter didn’t come out to make the situation even more embarrassing and the younger Winchester went straight for the new door that had appeared in the place of the window at the end of the corridor. He lowered the handle and crossed the threshold, carefully closing the door behind him.

The room turned out to be a sort of big studio flat, completed with a small kitchen in one corner and the king-sized bed Gabriel had been boasting about in the morning. Sam raised an eyebrow at the chintzy interior design of the place, but avoided any comments. He was already too busy to worry about the fact that the archangel’s tastes in furniture were a little too showy. Instead, he sat the creature down in the closer armchair, obtaining to finally freeing his reddening skin from his enthusiastic ministrations.

Gabriel looked up at him and slowly licked his lips. He couldn’t wait to have Sam sprawled on his bed, possibly without clothes in the way. He noticed that hunter looked a bit nervous, but his mind was too clouded by pleasant images to allow him to elaborate that thought. Images that he wanted to become real as soon as possible.

He lifted a hand to snap his fingers and get rid of the door in the corridor, but the human, as if reading his intentions, bent down and kissed him senselessly once again right before he could. He immediately got completely absorbed in the feeling of Sam’s tongue ravishing his mouth and his raised arm fell boneless on the armrest. Everything felt so good, appealing, _awesome_. He finally had the chance to get to have that damned Winchester all for himself again and he could feel his vessel already craving hard and painfully for more. And yet he felt like he was about to feint, as if his energies were being drowned by the sudden frenzy that had possessed his body. A familiar sensation, he realised. Suddenly all the pieces clicked in his confused mind. _Oh_.

“Samuel Winchester,” he managed to say, pushing the other away slightly. The words were heavy on his tongue and his sight was getting blurred. “You drugged me and then seduced me so that I’d be too busy to notice. You smart ass.”

“Took you long enough to notice.” Sam smirked widely at him, crouching down between his tights, hands resting near the former Trickster’s knees. “Sorry, Gabe. Dean’s idea. You really should stop messing with us,” he added then quietly, but his satisfaction was evident. “That’s what you get for starting a prank war.”

Gabriel let out a small laugh. “So it was all planned, uh? Touché, kiddo. I’m impressed. Fucking Winchesters,” he admitted, slightly amused. He couldn’t bring himself to feel annoyed. The boys had really managed to trick the Trickster. Again. It wasn’t something that everyone could do and he always appreciated a well-planned prank. “What did you give me?”

“Myrrh. Blame Dean and Balthazar for that,” the hunter answered, the grin never leaving his lips. He knew that he shouldn’t boast too much because Gabriel would kick their asses as soon as he sobered up, but he couldn’t help the impulse to exploit that moment of weakness. He deserved his payback after all. “Oh, and me for having the idea to put it in a pie.”

The archangel snorted. “That asshole manages to mess with me even if he’s dead. Great…” He puffed out, rolling his eyes slightly. “And _damned_ fucking Winchesters. I won’t let you get away so easily with this.”

The human laughed in turn at that, then he shot him a knowing glance. “Oh, you should instead,” he teased with the same light tone, rubbing his thumb on the fabric of the other’s jeans. “Because we aren’t done yet.”

The former Trickster groaned, incredulous. What else were the brothers planning against him? He blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his vision. He was doing his best to stay awake, but the drug was slowly and inexorably shutting down his mind. “Come on, Sammy. Don’t talk in riddles when I can’t understand them. What’s that supposed to mean?”

The younger Winchester shook his head and smirked at him once again. “I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise. Now sleep, Gabe.”

Gabriel wanted to protest, but the only thing he could do when the human’s hot palm caressed his cheek was leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. The last thing he felt before slipping into a complete darkness were the other’s lips pressing against his lightly, soft and almost caring. Maybe being on the receiving end of the Winchesters pranks wasn’t too bad if he got to kiss the younger brother each time.

Sam stared at the passed out archangel for a moment, before sighing and getting up. Some more minutes and he would have had something to regret. Or at least, something that he should have regretted, but he wasn’t really sure that he would really have. He ran a hand in his hair, wondering what he was supposed to do while waiting for his brother to show up. He really hoped that Dean didn’t take too much time to get over the “girl” thing. He didn’t want to risk having Gabriel waking up sooner than they were expecting. He would find himself in a very particular kind of troubles. The creature hadn’t looked too pissed about their prank, quite the contrary, but he knew that he wouldn’t allow them to get away with it anyway.

A knock came on the door it that right moment and he immediately went to open it, feeling a pang of relief as he found his sibling standing on the threshold. The elder looked still a bit crossed, but said nothing as he moved past him, carrying a tank of holy oil and a big basket inside. He shot a look at Gabriel and smirked a bit in satisfaction, before turning towards his sibling.

“Good job, Sammy! I told you it would work!” He commented, amused, clasping a hand on the latter’s shoulder. Then he frowned a bit looking at his brother attentively. He raised an eyebrow. “Man, is that thing on your neck a _hickey_?”

Sam immediately covered with his palm the spot of skin where the archangel had been sucking happily until a few minutes before. “Seducing Gabriel has consequences,” he stated uneasily, looking away. His body was still tingling lightly with the first spark of arousal, but he refused to even acknowledge the fact, especially in front of his brother. He swallowed a bit and then quickly changed the subject. “Come on, let’s get to work. Or would you rather keep discussing until he wakes up and sends us in some damned alternative universe to get his revenge? Because I’d like to stay in this reality.”

“Fine, fine. How touchy. I was just asking!” Dean said, raising his hands in surrender, but the mocking in his tone stayed. If Sam thought that he hadn’t noticed how flushed he was, then his brother was very wrong. He would tease him about forever. “You take care of the circle.” He cracked his fingers with a sly smirk. “I’ll handle the restyling.”

 

Gabriel came back to consciousness slowly and with a huge headache. He kept his eyes closed to ease the pain pulsing in his temples, while his still numb senses started to register a strange heat all around him, followed by a familiar smell. If it was what he thought, he was screwed. He let out a groan of both pain and annoyance and pushed himself in a seated position, his hands wandering a bit around his body. He was on the plain floor, which meant that someone had got ridden of his thick carpet. He didn’t want to imagine what else could have happened to his room. Not that fixing it would have been a problem, but it was still annoying.

Carefully, he opened his eyes, blinking to clear his blurred sight, and he received the confirmation of his fears. He was trapped in a circle of holy fire. He cursed under his breath and rolled his eyes. The brothers had really played him, and this time had been even worse than the previous ones. Getting stabbed with a wooden stick was a thing, but this was on a whole other level. He couldn’t believe that Sam had actually agreed to play so _nice_ with him just to get back at him. The kid was awful when he wanted to be.

He stirred his numb limbs and looked around to see if the two humans were there to enjoy his reactions, but he stopped his movements half way when he noticed the damage that had been done around him. As he had expected, the holy fire and the missing carpet were hardly the only changes in the room. He couldn’t say if there was still an object in its original place. He stared at the disaster with wide eyes. Someone, most likely Dean, had set his bed on fire, or done something very much similar, because it was completely destroyed, and same went for most of the furniture. His whole stack of sweets had disappeared, replaced but what looked like tasteless, low-calorie, cheap food, and his whole collection of porn had been turned into a pile of boring historical books and documentaries. But what made him snap was the lack of one particular thing. If the brothers had messed with that too, he would stick them in a loop of bad commercials for a whole week.

“Where in Heaven is my _dog_?!” He yelled at the opened door, feeling frustrated. The only thing he wanted to do in that moment was kicking the Winchesters’ asses hard, but he knew that he wouldn’t get out of the circle until they decided to free him. “Hey, kids! No playing with my buddy. Understood?!”

“So you actually care for something after all!” Dean’s teasing voice answered him. The elder hunter appeared in the doorstep and leant against the jamb, a big smirk plastered on his face. “Did you enjoy the surprise, Trickster?” He questioned then, crossing his arms. “That’s for messing with my Baby, for all the pranks, for what happened yesterday at the bar and for giving my brother a fucking _hickey_!”

“Dean! You could have avoided mentioning _that_ ,” Sam exclaimed irritated, appearing next his brother in that moment and glaring hard at him. He had a put a plaster on the mark on his neck and was holding the archangel’s dog in his arms. “And you shouldn’t tease him too much after what we have done.”

“Yeah, Deano, listen to your brother. He’s the smart one for reasons,” the archangel echoed sarcastically. “Because you both are so going to regret this little prank of yours. I still have to decide if I’m more pissed about having been tricked, having my place ruined or having lost the chance to have my way with Samsquatch here. I’m sure his willingness wasn’t part of the act.” His eyes fell on the dog, who was panting happily in the younger Winchester’s embrace. “And you, bud, are a real _bitch_.”

The animal let out a small guilty whine and jumped off from the hunter’s arms, while Dean stared at his sibling in disbelief. Sam looked away, not really knowing what to do or to say. He could have denied, but he knew that his face would have betrayed him. He had actually enjoyed the archangel’s attentions. He bit back a sigh. He didn’t get why he was always the one who had to make the poorest figure. He shot a nasty glare to Gabriel, who answered him with a smirk full of promises he didn’t like at all.

“So, what are you planning to do? Keep me here for the whole eternity?” The shorter man asked, getting up and fixing his clothes. “Force me to stare at the mess you have done with my things? Or will you allow me out at some point?”

“You’d deserve it and something much worse _only_ for what you’ve just said about my brother. If it was my choice I’d never let you out,” the older Winchester almost growled, crossing his arms. “But Sammy wouldn’t be happy if I did, since he somehow has a soft spot on you too.” He ignored the incredulous look that the younger gave him. He needed to get back at his brother too for the whole fake girl affair. “Besides, Bobby received a message from that famous friend of his. We have a lead on the Leviathans.”

Gabriel held the older hunter’s green eyes, his expression becoming suddenly serious. “Got it. Playtime’s over.”

Dean nodded, even if he didn’t look happy. “Yeah.” He turned around, showing his intention to leave. “Free him, Sam. I’m going to pack up our weaponry.” And with that he walked out of the room without waiting for an answer.

Sam shook his head and sighed, not even trying to stop his sibling. Instead, he approached the circle of fire to pour water over it. “You alright?” He questioned then, his gaze searching the archangel’s face for any signs of discomfort. “Dean said that the myrrh had no permanent side effects, but I don’t trust him on it.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Consequences of your prank apart,” the former Trickster answered, stepping out of the trap as soon as he was able to. He bent down and picked up his dog, petting its head gently. He couldn’t really blame the animal for having looked so comfortable in Sam’s arms. He hadn’t done much better the night before. He put the pet down and snapped his fingers and the room went back to his original state. “But, as you see, if we don’t consider my irritation, it’s nothing I can’t fix, so I won’t go too hard on you boys. Especially since we’ve got real work to do now.”

The hunter nodded as followed him out of the room and the door disappeared behind them. He was a bit relieved to see that the creature wasn’t really as annoyed as he had acted in front of Dean. The last thing they needed was a vindictive Trickster on their backs. But Gabriel was acting much more like his angel self since he had been brought back to life, and that pushed him to believe his words. He bit his lip lightly. He shouldn’t be so trusting towards the other, but he couldn’t help it. Every time he saw a glimpse of care in those golden orbs his mistrust disappeared a bit more. And by now there was very little left.

“I think it’s good to finally have a lead on them,” he pointed out after a moment, letting his previous trail of thoughts go. There was a hint of concern in his voice. “It’s already been more than a week since they broke free. I don’t want to think about all the damages they could have already caused.” He was quiet for some more seconds, his concern deepening. “I wish that Castiel was with us. If we’ve been able to find them, there’s the chance that he has run into one as well.”

The shorter man stopped on the top of the stairs and turned to face the human. “I hope he hasn’t. Leviathans can kill angels without much troubles or having to use special weapons. They are above us in the…“food chain”, to put it in their own terms,” he said quietly with a frown, diverting his eyes. “The best Cas can do in his poor state if he bumps into one of those fuckers is flying away as fast as possible.”

Sam remained silent, choosing to rest a hand on the archangel’s shoulder instead of speaking. He had noticed that Gabriel reacted better to physical contact when it came to be comforted. He would talk back sarcastically if you tried to offer him words of hope, but he seemed to appreciate a simple gesture of companionship. The archangel, in fact, offered him a warm look and rested his palm on his fingers, gently scratching the back of his hand.

“Oh, by the way,” Gabriel added after a while, breaking the comfortable silence that had fell upon them, a malicious grin grazing his lips. “In spite of everything, I had fun last night, especially in the bit between the pie and my blacking out. We should do it again, possibly without the myrrh, don’t you agree? I’d even cook dinner for you.”

Sam shoved him away, snorting and mumbling a “Fuck off” under his breath, and walked past him, heading downstairs and leaving the creature smirking in amusement. Fucking Trickster. Now he would never hear the end of that. And once again it was all Dean’s fault. He massaged his temple lightly, trying not to think about the fact that he actually wouldn’t mind accepting the archangel’s offer. Dinner, making out and sex. It almost sounded like a real date.

He rolled his eyes at the thought. He had better focus on their new task. It was more urgent that whatever was going on between him and Gabriel and, especially, thinking about work was somehow easier. He was already too messed up on his own to let an angel unsettle his poor balance even more. His past, his brother and his recent trip in Hell with Lucifer were really already enough to deal with.


	14. XIV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Sorry once again if it took me two months to update, but I've got busy once again with my studies. I hope I'll be able to keep updating at least twice a months for the following months. Assuming that exams won't get in the way again.
> 
> In this chapter I managed to give some space to almost all the characters. I hope you'll enjoy it!
> 
> Please, let me know if I should keep writing! Feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

When Crowley joined Charlene in her apartment, the night had already fallen and the cloudy sky was dark as the depth of Hell. He found the young woman seated on her sofa, a bottle of nice whiskey and two glasses set on the coffee table in front of her. He hid a smile. His new partner-in-crime was a quick learner and he couldn’t be happier about it in that moment. He remained in the shadows for a while, studying her in silence. She looked nervous, but not as much as she had been the evening before. The meeting with Roman had to have been less devastating that she was expecting and that was positive. He hadn’t answered the text message she had sent him to let him know that her cover-up was safe, half because he was busy and half because he wanted to mess with her, but he had had to admit to himself that he had felt a small pang of pride reading it. Both for himself and for the girl, which was very unusual.

He fixed his jacket and finally stepped into view, going to sit down next to Charlene. “Good evening, my dear,” he greeted with one of his charming smirks. “I was glad to hear that your work meeting was good, in spite of your pessimistic expectations.”

She turned immediately towards him and offered a small smile, her eyes briefly touching the bottle of liquor. “Yeah. It was really awkward, but not as scary as I thought it would be,” she admitted, nodding. “And God, that Dick’s so _weird_. I’m not sure I want to be alone in the same room with him ever again! His smile is _creepy_. And I’m pretty sure he killed the real Roman.”

“You haven’t seen his real _smile_ , if we can call it like that, yet. Hope you never will, because it will be the last thing you’ll ever see. Never met a Leviathan myself before, but I’ve heard pretty awful stories about them. Your real boss has most likely been not only killed but also _eaten_ by the current Dick,” Crowley commented, opening the bottle and pouring some amber liquid in both glasses. He raised his own to his face and lightly smelt it. “Good choice, Charlie. You’re learning.”

“Ew. I didn’t need to know that! They eat humans?!” The IT employee exclaimed, horrified. She grabbed her own glass and took a big sip without too many compliments. She had seen something else other than a sparkling brilliance in Roman’s eyes that morning, and now she understood what it was. _Hunger_. A metaphorical one for power and supremacy, and a literal one, for human meat apparently. Now she really didn’t want to be left alone with him again. “Why didn’t you tell me?! I’m not willing to work for a fucking monster, especially if it eats people!”

The King of Hell sighed. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to freak out as you’re doing,” he explained calmly, watching the restless movements of her fingers. “You were already too nervous about meeting him, I didn’t want to make it even more difficult for you. As I told you yesterday, I don’t wish for you to be unmasked.” Then he offered her a small smirk. “You said you don’t want to work for a monster. Does it mean that you don’t consider the Devil as such?”

She snorted at that. “Don’t tease me. You _are_ a monster, but of a different kind,” she answered, still looking a bit irritated. “Technically speaking, even angels are monsters. But I surely don’t compare them to Leviathans or to that Ker that has tried to kill me. Or to the others of your kind. Let’s say that you’re my exception. But just because you can be a nice bitch from time to time.”

“Still sticking to that definition?” He asked raising an eyebrow, but there was only amusement in his tone this time. “I’ll have to get used to it if I want to keep you around, I’m afraid. Won’t I? Just refrain from calling me like that in front of my clients, my enemies and my minions. I have a reputation that must be protected.” He took a sip of his whiskey. “Anyway. What did Roman hire you for?”

“I’ll behave,” she promised with a teasing grin. Then she turned serious, her face darkening once again at the memory of the meeting. “He wants me to hack the hard disk from a Frank Devereaux guy. He said that he’ll send it to me in a couple of days. He didn’t tell me much. Just that this dude is a threat for his company. Which I guess means that he’s a problem for their Leviathan stuff.”

“I see.” Crowley remained thoughtful for some moments. His eyes shone with a weird, almost pleased light. “I can think of just one thing that could push our Dick to consider a human a threat. This Frank must have found out about his plan and collected information about what the Leviathans are doing,” he said slowly in the end. “Charlie, if this is true, you must bring to me whatever it’s inside that hard disk. It’s priceless information. And maybe our only way to know what they’re plotting.”

“So you’re asking me to exploit the fact that I’m hacking it to steal information?” Charlene asked, a bit of concern filling her voice. “Great. If Roman finds out, I’m dead. And _eaten_.”

The Devil looked straight into her eyes, his tone becoming soothing and gentle. “Oh, but you’re an excellent hacker and I’m sure that they won’t find out what you’re doing until it’s too late,” he spoke with a grin. “And don’t forget that you’re safe and sound under my protection.”

“Don’t try to flatter me, your charm doesn’t work here. If you were a middle-aged but still good-looking woman it could have, but your current body can do nothing to impress me,” she pointed out, holding his gaze without much trouble. She had the feeling that the Devil was keeping something from her, but it wouldn’t have been the first time. No matter how many times she asked him to tell her everything, he never did. “Anyway, fine. It’s part of my duties and I’ll do it. But I have a question.”

“Your words hurt me, Charlie. You see, I like this body of mine. It quite suits my personality,” the demon stated, faking offense, but his smirk never disappeared. “Do ask, my dear.”

“Yeah, it looks good on you,” she commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Then her tone got serious once again. “Why’s Roman so worried about a human finding out about them? I mean, it’s not like the world would believe this Frank if he decided to make what he has found out public. I mean, we’re talking about _Leviathans_ , not even the usual alien stuff! Just few paranoids would believe him. I don’t see what harm could come to his plans.”

“You’re forgetting something essential here, Charlie. _Hunters_. There are people, more than you think, who hunt monsters for a living and Dick knows this. You met the Winchesters,” the King of Hell pointed out. “Maybe not all of them would buy the Leviathans thing at the beginning, but they would surely investigate. Besides, he knows that the angels are looking for them too. And not only Castiel and Gabriel, because I’m sure that Raphael won’t just stay seated and watch while some damned creature from Purgatory crashes his plans of bringing Paradise on Earth. And the Leviathans can’t fight demons, angels and humans all together. Or better, they could, but it would mean much trouble, no matter how powerful they are. Can you see my point?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I haven’t thought about that,” the young woman admitted pensively. There was still something that didn’t fit in the whole situation, but she couldn’t grasp what. “I’ll get those pieces of information as soon as possible.”

“Good girl,” the Devil nodded in approval. He lifted his glass. “Now, should we toast to your successful job interview and enjoy a nice evening somewhere? I have some free time at the moment and I can tell you that Moscow is beautiful in this season.”

Charlene gave him a weird look. “I’ll pretend not to have noticed that you sounded like you were trying to woo me,” she stated with a grimace. But then she lifted her drink in turn. “And I do it only because I’ve never been to Moscow.”

“Maybe I am, after all, ignoring your sexual preferences. You know that I do also that just for fun. Besides, I’m still persuaded that you’d make a fine demon.” Crowley’s smirk widened. He loved teasing that girl. Her reactions were worth the trouble. “The city deserves a visit. If you’ve never been there, it’s just one more reason to go on a small trip there.”

“I’ve already told you: I’m not kissing a man, King of Hell or not. And I’m not turning into a demon,” the woman said firmly, glaring at him, but she was almost smiling in turn. “Good. Come on, your _Highness_. Show me Russia, then. But get me some appropriated clothes too, ‘cause I have no intention of freezing to death!”

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Castiel stayed with the Bales just until the morning of the day following Richard’s rescue. His wounds got better surprisingly fast, at least in comparison to the others he had received recently, and he was getting restless. He had fallen asleep that night, which might have helped him to recover, and the fact had freaked him out. Angels didn’t sleep, not in the way humans did at least. The shock of power he had showed while confronting Meg had to have worsened his conditions. He had started wondering again how much time he had left before falling completely, a question that had remained frustratingly unanswered since estimating it was impossible for him.

Moreover, he felt uncomfortable now that his companions knew what he was. They had taken it surprisingly well, never thinking of him as an enemy, not even for a moment. Thomas had even confided him that he was relieved to know that, somewhere, there was a higher power and a life after death, even if God was gone and angels were all bastards. He and Richard were believers, while Shane was more agnostic in her views, but after her speech in the bathroom she had gone back treating him as she had done before the revelation. The only moment in which they had stared at him in astonishment had been when he had asked for a burger after they had persuaded him to eat. Apparently seeing a divine being eating junk food had been too odd for them. He had really no reason to feel unwelcomed, but he still knew that he could no longer stay. Both because he was putting them in danger and because he needed to keep on searching.

No one was happy when he announced that he was about to leave, especially the young woman. She tried her best to persuade him to stay for some more days, but he was adamant in his decision. In the end she had to give up, but kept glaring at him for the whole time of the breakfast. He kept silent, almost not touching his food and watching the other three eating. He had put back on the clothes he had the day he had met them. Richard had done his best to patch them, but they still didn’t look good as they used to.

In the end they all stood in the middle of the motel room, the angel with his back to the door and the hunters in front of him. He was wearing his usual blank expression, but his eyes were sparkling. “It is time for us to part our ways,” he said quietly after some moments of silence. “I am extremely grateful for all you have done for me and I hope I will be able to solve my debt, sooner or later. Just accept my sincere gratitude for now.”

Thomas smiled and offered him his hand. “You don’t need to feel indebted to us, Castiel. It’s been our pleasure to have you with us. And you saved both my children. I’m the one who is in debt,” he claimed as they shook hands. “Feel free to come to us if you need any help. We’ll be happy to lend you or your friends a hand. I wish you the best luck with your research.” He stared at him straight in the eyes. “And let go, Castiel. Stop punishing yourself.”

The angel didn’t answer but gave him a small nod, silently assuring that he would try hard, and turned towards Richard, who, without warning, wrapped him in a hug. Castiel started, but didn’t pushed him away and instead awkwardly patted his shoulder as he had done with Cupid during the Apocalypse. He still had problems with those enthusiastic ways to express affection.

“Good luck, Cas,” the young man said, releasing him with a smile. “And thanks for everything. Dad’s right, you’re the one who’s done much for us. We won’t forget it and you shouldn’t either. You’re worth the trouble.”

With that he stepped back to leave his place to his cousin. She took some steps forward, stopping right in front of the angel. He looked back at her, knotting his eyebrow together, unable to say from her determinate expression if she was going to punch him or to hug him in turn. Instead, to his astonishment, she grabbed his face with both hands and dragged him down to press a chaste kiss on his lips. His eyes widened in surprise and he stood still, not kissing back nor pulling away. It was different from the messy kiss he had shared with Meg. It was softer but more meaningful at the same time, and didn’t feel empty as the first. It tasted like friendship and family.

Shane released him with a huge grin, most likely reading his thoughts in his expression. “I told you that friends can kiss each other from time to time,” she laughed, winking at him. “So…This isn’t a definitive goodbye. We’ll see each other again. Promise me.”

“I give you my word, Shane,” he answered, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. He didn’t want to make any more promise that he didn’t know if he would be able to keep. For what he knew, he could have perished before finding his way and he had the feeling that no one would bother to bring him back this time. “Thank you. I won’t forget you.”

“Sure you won’t.” The young woman stepped back and went to stand next to her cousin. “Behave, angel boy. And keep going, whatever happens. Got it?”

Castiel stared silently at her for some moments, then spread his wings and disappeared from the room. A part of him had wanted to stay with them, to remain in that warm corner where he had felt once again part of something bigger, welcomed and useful. They had reminded him why he had always chosen humanity after getting close to it through Dean. In them he had seen their kind’s fragile strength, the same power that had allowed two mere humans to change Fate and stop Heaven’s Will. He had almost forgotten it in the months he had spent dealing with the civil world and Crowley. He had got lost in the celestial affairs, almost losing all he had learnt through his and his companions’ sufferance and blood. He didn’t understand how it had been possible, how he had got so far away from what had given him so much.

Those thoughts pained him as he kept wandering. They were reminding him of the void in his chest, which seemed to get wider and wider as he flied away from those three humans. Maybe Thomas was right, maybe he was punishing himself, consciously separating from everyone and everything he cared about, putting his life in constant danger. Maybe his desperate research was just covering his unconscious death wish. Not that he wouldn’t deserve it, dying alone and forgotten. But it would be a really selfish act from his part, something he couldn’t afford after what he had done. Maybe he should just stop wandering pointlessly and try to find a way to solve the celestial conflict or at least to defeat the Leviathans. This way he would be putting at good use the small power he had left.

He considered his options. Challenging Raphael in his state would mean certain death, but maybe he could try to pick up a fight with a Leviathan. He was sure that they already knew that he was after them and since he was on his own he wouldn’t expose Dean and Sam. He could try to get to know more about them and their weaknesses. It was worth a try. He just needed to find one of them. He tried to concentrate as much as possible. He could sense them, see the black bloody trails that they had left behind them while travelling on the planet. One wasn’t too far from where he was flying. A pang of determination blossomed inside him. It was his chance. He forced himself to speed up, his wings leaving behind a rain of bright feathers.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

“We’ve looked everywhere, I swear!” Dean exclaimed, pacing around the room, the mobile phone glued to his ear. “Even the archangel bastard can’t sense him, which means that the fucker is not here. Are you sure that that friend of yours has got the right information?”

“Balls! Frank knows what he does. Don’t get angry with me if that thing’s smarter than you idjits,” Bobby answered from the other end of the line. He was getting annoyed with the older Winchester. The boy was always looking for someone to blame when he wasn’t blaming himself for everything and he became unbearable. “I tried to call Frank back, but he isn’t answering. I’ll go check on him. Assuming that I’ll be able to find him. He’s the most paranoid person I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of people in my life.”

“Great,” Dean snorted, clearly irritated. The situation was frustrating him to no end. He had thought that they could finally lay a hand on one of those Purgatory bastards, but they had lost it. “And what are we supposed to do while you’re going on treasure hunt with your crazy friend? Keep on looking?”

“Do your damned job, Dean! Sam told me that there’s something weird going on in the town where you’re staying,” the older hunter pointed out in an irritated tone. “I thought you boys didn’t need a babysitter anymore.”

“But if we stay here, we’ll lose…” Dean tried to protest, but was interrupted.

“You’ve already lost it. And if you keep wandering randomly you’ll just waste your time. And mine too. At least this way you’ll be useful to those poor people. Now, stop bothering me and drag your lazy ass on that case. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve got news.”

The older Winchester didn’t have the chance to talk back because the conversation was shut before he could open his mouth to dissent. He was left to just stare at the phone murderously for some moments, before throwing it away with force in a of rage, almost hitting Sam in the process. Luckily, Gabriel was quick enough to snap the flying object away before it ended against the younger Winchester’s forehead.

“Dean, calm down!” The younger hunter exclaimed, shooting a grateful look to the archangel. “Bobby’s right. We can’t go after the Leviathan without a lead. He could be everywhere. It’s better if we stay here and hunt down whatever is scaring off the whole town.”

Dean growled, but didn’t answer. He knew that the other two were right, but he just couldn’t accept it. They had been riding across the country for two days, almost without taking a break, trying to reach the Leviathan that Bobby’s friend had located, and then, once they had entered that damned town in the middle of nowhere, the creature had suddenly disappeared from the radar. To complicate the whole situation the Frank guy had stopped answering their calls before he told them all he had been able to find out about their enemies and they had discovered that something was very wrong with the town. So wrong that its inhabitants refused to talk about it, no matter how much they pressed on the matter.

“Dean?” Sam carefully called again, a bit of concern in his tone.

“Alright! Alright. We’ll stay here and hunt whatever crap is going one here,” Dean gave up, throwing his hands in the air. “But I swear that if we got stuck in something particularly nasty I’ll destroy this whole God-forgotten town just because I can!”

The younger hunter shook his head and sighed. “We aren’t doing anything until you have calmed down,” he stated firmly, crossing his arms. “You’re useless if you keep on yelling and trying to punch everything and everyone. Now sit down and breathe. Then, we’ll get dressed and go play the FBI agents at the police station. Alright?”

“Do I have any other choices? My hands are tied!” His brother shot back in a harsh tone. He paced the room restlessly for some moments, then he turned towards the former Trickster, who was still seated on Sam’s bed, playing absent-mindedly with the phone. “And you? Why the hell are you so fucking _quiet_? You’ve been silent for the last two days. I’m not saying that I miss your intrusive presence and your damned comments, but it’s not normal not having you bitching every five minutes. What are you planning?”

“Nothing. I just thought that me shutting my pie hole would help your awful mood, kiddo,” Gabriel answered mockingly, but his smirk was evidently forced. “Poor Sammy doesn’t need more troubles from me as well.”

“Oh, so you have become suddenly generous and caring?” Dean asked, obviously not believing a word of what he had been told. “Well, thanks a lot, freak!”

“You’re welcome, Deano. My pleasure,” the archangel talked back, getting up and letting the mobile fall on the mattress. “While you kids stay here and sort out your family issues, I’ll go and make myself useful. Maybe I can play some tricks and find out what’s really going on in this place. Have fun!” And he was gone in a flap of wings without giving them the time to react.

“What is wrong with him?” The elder exclaimed. Then he turned towards his brother. “Sam! What have you done to make him so upset?”

“Why me?! I’ve done nothing,” the latter protested raising his hands. Here they went again. Every time Gabriel did something in his older sibling’s mind he had to be somehow involved. “He’s been like that since we’ve left Bobby’s. He’s evasive, even with me. He has even stopped making moves on me. Not that I’m complaining but…You’re right. It _is_ weird. But I still have no idea of what has gotten into him.”

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering “Fucking moody archangels” under his breath, and Sam ran a hand in his hair. He was starting to worry about Gabriel and he knew that his brother was too, even if he would never admit it. The angel had been getting gloomier and gloomier in the past two days, almost never making inappropriate comments nor doing his usual flirting. On the contrary, he had been often quiet and almost hadn’t touched him. At the beginning, he had been glad of that change of behaviour because he really needed a break from that constant taunting, especially after the intense moment they had shared while Gabriel was drugged, but with the passing time he had quickly understood that something was off with the shorter man. He had tried to address him on the matter, but he had received only ambiguous answers the few times the other had bothered to reply to his questions.

“Hey, Sam,” the older Winchester called in an unsure tone, interrupting his thoughts. “Do you think that Gabriel being in an odd bad mood could have something to do with Cas?”

Sam kept quiet for a moment, reflecting. His brother’s hypothesis could make sense, even if it was unlikely. He knew that the archangel checked regularly on their friend, but he was sure that he would have informed them if something bad had happened to the other angel. Or, if he had for some obscure reason chose not to tell them, he would have found an excuse to fly off and join his sibling wherever he was. “I don’t know, Dean. It could be. But I’m not convinced,” he answered in the end, uncertain. “Maybe he’s just worried about Raphael’s moves.”

“Yeah, sure. You must be right,” Dean mumbled looking away, but his dark expression remained. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

Sam couldn’t help smiling a bit, sympathetically. “You miss him, don’t you?” He said quietly. “I’m sure that Cas is fine. Well, as fine as he can be considering his weakening state, I mean. He’ll be back soon. He can’t stay away from you for too much time.”

The older hunter glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, his tone becoming a bit harsh once again. “I’m not the one going around and banging angels and falling for them. That’s _you_.”

“I’ve banged just _one_ angel and I’ve not fallen for him. I…I like him. It’s very different,” Sam shot back defensively, looking away for a moment. “And don’t you dare to judge me, I’ve already told you what I think about your “staring contests” with Cas. And you’re always talking about my angel, so it would be a nice change if for once we talked a bit about _yours_.”

“No way. It’s more fun talking about you acting like a lovestruck teenage girl,” Dean talked back, crossing his arms, but the mockery in his tone wasn’t as firm as he wanted it to be. He was still thinking about Castiel. Sam was right, he missed the idiot and was worried about him. For the umpteenth time he wondered where the angel could be in that moment, what he could be doing and which troubles he had had to face in his wandering. He wished he knew why the bastard had left in the first place, what he had read in those words he had spoken. Maybe if he understood what was keeping him away, they could find him and persuade him to come back. Or perhaps he could try to follow Gabriel’s suggestion and pray to him, tell him to stop being the asshole he was and to get his lazy feathery ass in their motel room. He should, and he would have if he hadn’t been too fucking proud and still not fine with Castiel’s betrayal. Maybe he was the idiot, not the angel. Not that he was going to admit it to anyone.

He bit back a sigh. He couldn’t go on like that, snapping every time the angel’s name was mentioned, losing his focus completely just because the thought of the other had crossed his mind, seeing those deep eyes in front of him every time he noticed how blue the sky was. He had just told Sam that he was acting like a girl, but inside his head he wasn’t doing any better. He was glad that his brother couldn’t read minds because otherwise he would have pointed out that maybe he wasn’t the only one in the family who had a man-crush on an angel. Not that he liked Castiel in that way, but he had to admit that _maybe_ someone who didn’t know the dynamics of their relationship could get the wrong idea. Especially because of the angel’s inability to understand the concept of personal space and his odd way of talking. And the staring. Despite what he had told his sibling, he actually saw his point after having considered the thing as something more. Castiel was always so open and straightforward with his feelings when it came to him that it was easy to see in his words something that wasn’t there. A more profound bond. He almost snorted in amusement. He himself had almost misinterpreted what his best friend had meant with that phrase and he had felt the need to rephrase it immediately. And that was just one of the many times it had happened.

“Dean?” Sam called, bringing him back to the present. He raised an eyebrow. Was his brother _daydreaming_? “Are you still there?”

“I’m hungry. We still haven’t eaten breakfast. Let’s stop and grab some food before going to talk with the sheriff. I saw a nice diner on the road,” the older hunter said, chasing away his thoughts. He pulled his FBI agent clothes out of his bag. “Oh, and later I’m going to have a good talk with that stupid archangel of yours. First of all, about the fact that he has to spit out what’s turning him in such a moody girl. And secondly he needs to decide what he wants with you. And he has to do it quickly.”

“What are you talking about?” The younger Winchester asked, confused by the last part of his brother’s speech. He had got that his sibling had been in the middle of some serious thinking when he had interrupted him, but he was sure that Gabriel hadn’t been the angel he was thinking about. So why was he speaking about the archangel again now? He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer to his own question.

“I mean that he needs to choose, Sam. There’s a bloody freak trying to _woo_ my younger sibling, so it’s my duty as the elder to make sure that he isn’t just playing with you,” Dean stated firmly making Sam groaning. However, before the latter could say anything, he went on: “Shut up, I’m not done. We aren’t discussing anything. I’m just informing you that I’ll have a talk with him. After that he’ll either stop being a pervert around you or he’ll make up his fucking mind and seriously pursue you. What happens to you two in the second case, it’s not my business. I’m not trying to defend your virtue, since he already took it. But at least I’ll be sure that he isn’t tricking you.” He lowered his eyes on the clothes he was holding. His tone got darker without a warning. “One betrayal is enough, don’t you agree?” He looked back at his brother, his voice going back to his usual one. “So, the asshole must show that he cares if he wants to date you. If he doesn’t, he can go fuck with someone else, literally and metaphorically speaking. Got it?”

“Dean, you don’t have to…” Sam tried, but was interrupted.

“I _do_ , instead. Do you think I enjoy the idea of you and that bastard together? No. But since you seem unable to deal with your life on your own, I have to do it in your place,” the elder pointed out firmly, his expression saying that he wouldn’t change his mind. “Now, get dressed. We have a job to do.” And with that he turned around and locked himself in the bathroom, leaving his brother standing in the middle of the room.

The younger hunter sighed and shook his head, not knowing if he should be more astonished or exasperated. In part he could understand why his brother was intruding so much in the matter. Dean didn’t want him and Gabriel to end up like him and Castiel. He wasn’t so blind that he didn’t see the parallel between the two situations, even if the circumstances were very different. His sibling, not without reason, still didn’t trust the archangel and he was worried that he would end up tricking them as the younger angel had done.

He reached out for his own clothes. To say the truth, the thought that the former Trickster could turn his back to them hadn’t crossed his mind since what had happened with the Ker. Gabriel had offered to fight her for them and, even if the result hadn’t been brilliant, he had confirmed what he had stated when he had protected them from Lucifer. He had chosen a side, _theirs_. Maybe the trust that he was conceding to the shorter man just concerned Dean even more. After all, Castiel had sacrificed everything for them and still he had lied to them and made a deal with Crowley behind their backs. And if that had happened, then everything was possible.

He sighed. He understood it all, but he still couldn’t bring himself to fear such an about-face from Gabriel. Maybe time would prove that he was awfully wrong, but the fact was that he had come to trust him, even if he had kept telling himself that he couldn’t afford it. There was a straightforwardness in their fights, in their mocking, in the way the archangel acted towards him, and especially in those few but meaningful serious moments they had shared that made him feel safe with the other. The difference between Gabriel and Castiel was that the first never put the “greater good” before his personal interests, and in this moment the latter were represented by him and Dean. He would never choose Heaven or whatever over them, over _him_. That was why the archangel would stick by their side until he wanted to. The real danger for him was on a more personal level. And he had to agree with Dean on that. He still had no idea about how Gabriel really felt towards him. Soft spot and all, but what did that really meant?

Sam ran a hand on his face. Maybe he should face the shorter man about the matter. Or, even better, allow his brother to do it, since Dean seemed so eager to solve the issue in his place. He could let him do that, even if he wasn’t very fond of the prospect. The elder wasn’t exactly great when it came to talking about delicate subjects. But since there was no way to dissuade Dean from acting on his decision, he could just exploit it and get his answers without having to bear an embarrassing and possibly painful conversation. He looked up at the ceiling, considering the possibility. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Gabriel kicked a small rock out of his path, watching it fall in the near river. He had told the Winchesters that he would have gone investigating, but instead he was now a couple of states away from that bloody town. He needed some time to clear his head and to regain the control of his own emotions. He couldn’t believe that he, the best trickster that the planet had ever seen, had been so _obvious_. He was ashamed of himself, and yet he knew that he couldn’t have helped it. Too much time had passed since the last time he had felt so awfully overwhelmed. The day of Lucifer’s Fall, the day when Heaven had changed forever into something very different from the place he used to call “home”. After that he had lost himself in his newly created identity, far away from the joyous memories, from the timeless moments of peace and calm, from the bitter pain, from the feeling of loss and betrayal. He had lost a brother that day, he had been burdened by their Father’s disappearance, he had watched his family shattered into pieces. It had been too much, he hadn’t have the strength to stay.

He ran a hand in his hair, a habit he was sure he had got into because of Sam. The younger hunter always did it when he was nervous or worried. He smiled briefly, but his gloomy mood immediately washed away the brief ray of amusement that the thought had lit up inside him. He had never been able to chase away those painful memories, and now that he was living it all again they were stronger as ever.

His family was at war once again, threatening to tear more than one world apart. Their Father was hidden somewhere, distant and clearly with no intentions of preventing it, as he had been during the Apocalypse. And he had lost Castiel. Sensing his Grace had become harder and harder with the passing time and, soon after they had left Bobby’s house to hunt the Leviathan down, he had realised that he could no longer perceive it. His brother was gone, his powers too weak to be sensed by him or any other. Or he could be dead, but that wasn’t an option he wanted to consider. Besides, he would have known it if he had been killed while still possessing even the slight trace of angelic Grace in him. Even while he was just a trickster, he still heard the scream and the sorrow every time one of his siblings died. All of them did, it was unavoidable. Castiel had just become more of a human than a divine being. Which meant, he couldn’t help reminding himself, that he was just a few steps away from dying.

A pang of anger blossomed in his chest. He couldn’t accept it. If Castiel had stayed he would have been able to heal him, even if temporarily. But that idiot had to go and play martyr for the sake of a mere human, wandering out of his reach and risking his whole existence for something that he perhaps would never find. Assuming that he knew what he was doing, which was not the impression he had got when he had seen him for the last time more than a week ago.

He kicked another rock, this time more violently. He wanted to blame Castiel, Dean, Sam, Raphael, their Father, _himself_ for all that mess, but he found that he couldn’t. Not completely. All of them had made so many mistakes, but at the same time he couldn’t say that it was just their fault. The events had led them to make those decisions, to act in that way, at times not even giving them a real choice. They had just tried to do what they thought was the best thing. And that was the result. Could it have been better if they had chosen differently? Maybe, but it could have been worse too. There was no way to know and he had no intention of going back in time and trying to change the events. The last thing he needed now was the grudge of the Fates.

He sat down on the shore, crossing his arms and legs, and closed his eyes. He remained still for long minutes, just listening to the sounds of nature and letting the peace of that place calm his troubled feelings. Maybe he should tell the Winchesters about Castiel. They deserved to know. However, he didn’t want to burden them with that, not now that they were finally closer to one of their enemies. He had to deal with that situation on his own, at least for now, at least until he found out what kind of news he was actually breaking to them. Should he go and look for his sibling? He had given his word that he wouldn’t, but wasn’t he allowed to break it in such extreme circumstances? He shook his head. He had sworn to Cas and especially to himself that he would have trusted the other angel. Too many betrayals had been committed since that story had begun and he couldn’t let his brother down again. He had to swallow down his concern and keep doing what he was required to. He hated it, but he knew that it was the real _right_ choice. Even if it could cost the highest price.

He let his back fell on the grass, his bare feet sinking in the cool water. He should go back and start looking for what was wrong in the town. He really should, but he was not ready yet to wear the sly mask of the Trickster and walk the scene of his archangel self. He just wanted to be himself for some times, with Loki and Gabriel being just names without a role attached to them.

He opened his eyes slowly. The sky was so blue, so _pure_ , and the air tasted like honey. He could almost pretend that he was back in the boundless meadows of Heaven, enjoying Michael and Lucifer’s playful spats, or watching Raphael reading, or listening to his younger siblings singing. He could almost pretend to be seated on a golden rainbow with Castiel, observing in awe and wonder their Father as He created life. He would stay there and pretend, just for a moment, that he would get back what he had lost forever.


	15. XV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys!  
> Once again I'm terribly sorry for the late update. My inspiration had been almost nonexistent lately. And I have no idea of when it will come back. I hope the chapter is good enough!
> 
> Please, let me know what you think!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

The pain was burning through his body, as if fire was running in his veins instead of blood. The creature was even stronger than he had anticipated and now it was smirking at him, careless of the deep wounds opened all over in his body. Black liquid came out from the ripped flesh, flooding on the ground and gathering in small pools. Castiel was panting, his free hand pressed tightly against his injured shoulder while the fingers of the other were gripping at his blade. His face was smeared with blood, dirt and sweat and his sight was getting more and more blurred. The black lymph had spurted on some of his wounds, making them burn and leak nasty yellow pus.

When he had landed he had managed to catch it off guard. The Leviathan had seemed to be caught up in something else and hadn’t noticed it when he had had jumped on it. However, it had reacted very quickly and the fight had immediately become violent. The angel had managed to sink his swords in many vitals point but he had obtained only to make his opponent growl in pain. No matter how deep or large the wounds he gave it were, the creature seemed mostly unaffected and healed quite fast too. Nothing seemed able to stop it.

“Come on, little angel, stop being a bore and let me have that nice body of yours! I promised I’ll kill you quickly. After all we must thank you for being out of Purgatory!” The Leviathan exclaimed, almost laughing at him. “You came just in time. I’m feeling a bit peckish.” He licked his lips, eyeing Castiel’s shoulder hungrily. “And from the small taste I had I can tell that it will be a delicious meal. I can’t wait to have you ripped open in front of me!”

The angel tightened his grip on the spot where his opponent had sunk its teeth. The blood was still flooding out profusely and he didn’t have enough Grace left to stop the haemorrhage. The best thing he could have done would have been flying away, but retreating now would have meant wasting the opportunity to find out his opponent’s weak point. Besides, he didn’t think that the creature would allow him to leave so easily. He took a deep breath and didn’t bother to answer the taunt. He had to stay focused and find a way out of that situation. A thought came in his mind. There was something he still hadn’t tried. It was a hazard, but it was worth a try. He just needed to get close enough to his enemy.

The Leviathan only smirked more widely when he threw himself on him once again. Castiel missed him on purpose and didn’t try to correct the trajectory of his blow when the other avoided it. What he hadn’t expected was the creature grabbing his elbow and pulling him towards it. Their bodies collided violently, almost throwing them both on the ground. The angel reacted almost immediately, instinctively struggling against the irony grip, but his opponent was faster. Its head altered, losing his human features in a heartbeat and the monster bent down again on his left shoulder, biting more deeply than he previously had and tearing away a good mouthful of flesh.

Castiel screamed in agony as blood spurted out of the wound, soaking his trench coat and washing over the Leviathan’s face. He gave a strong pull, finally managing to free himself, and extended his arm, aiming the sword towards his enemy’s neck. The blade met the skin hard enough to cut through it and successfully decapitated the creature. Its head fell on the ground, rolling away, and the body swung for a few seconds before collapsing with a dull thud in a pool of black ooze.

The angel stared at it, unable to do nothing but panting hard. He couldn’t believe that he had managed to neutralise the creature. He knew it wasn’t dead, he could still feel its vital energy, but it would take it a while to repair the damage. If he took the head far enough maybe it would be as if it was dead. But he didn’t have the energy now. His own head was spinning for the blood loss and his legs grew weaker without warning, making him fall on his knees. He knew that he needed to leave before the Leviathan healed, but the mere thought of flying made him feel sick. His powers were slowly working on the missing flesh and he could feel every bit of muscle, tendon, and skin growing back painfully.

He forced himself to get up and finally succeeded after a couple of failed attempts. A burning shock ran through his wings as he stretched them out, more invisible feathers falling down all around him, and he took a deep breath before taking off. He had no idea of where he was going and his mind was too clouded to allow him any sense of direction. Unconsciously he perceived something pulling him down, but the feeling was so faint that he didn’t really acknowledge it.

One moment later he found himself on a cold marble floor, without any memory of the impact with the surface if not a dull ache in his back. There was someone towering over him, but he couldn’t put the figure into focus, no matter how hard he tried. There was blood in his eyes and the pain was simply too much. He remembered the feeling of being torn apart from his previous deaths, but it had lasted just one moment. This time the feeling was much stronger and it didn’t seem to be dulling any time soon.

“Oh, look at what we have here,” the shadow above him sang, sounding pleased, and he realised that he knew that voice somehow. “What a nice surprise! I wasn’t expecting you of all people. But I guess that you don’t even know where you are.”

Castiel opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was too dry and he didn’t manage to make a sound. So he tried to put himself in a seated position, succeeding after some moments, and run a hand on his eyes, in the attempt to clear his sight. “I…I wish I could disagree,” he managed to say. Then he added in a spiteful tone as realisation dawned on him: “ _Demon_.”

“There, there, angel boy. Let’s keep the insulting for later,” Crowley smirked, amused by his unexpected guest’s poor state. He played with the angel blade he had picked up from the floor. “You’re in deep trouble, darling. I was looking for you, you know that, don’t you? I must say I wasn’t pleased with your little trick and I can be quite nasty when I’m disappointed in someone. So, what should we do?”

“Don’t ask me. You’re the one who makes deals, so you’re the expert here,” the angel said, his voice emotionless, but he was aware that the other had spoken the truth. He had no way out and if the demon decided to kill him on the spot or to torture him he couldn’t have done anything to stop it. “You tell me.”

“It must be your lucky day because I’m in a good mood. You can keep your sorry life, for now. Whatever creature has reduced you in such a condition has already done a good job. But I’ll have you wash my floor as soon as you’re well enough to stand.” The King of Hell waved his hand and two other demons stepped out of the shadows of the room. He watched them as they roughly lifted his speaker from the ground, keeping him standing. “For now, just be my guest. I’ll give you a nice place inside a circle of holy fire until I decide what to do with you.” He turned his attention to his subordinates. “Take him away.”

Castiel let the two drugged him out of the room. He wanted to struggle, to get their hands off, to kill them and go away, but he could do nothing. His body wasn’t responding and he had been robbed of his only weapon. He was completely at Crowley’s mercy. And he couldn’t see a way out of that situation.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

“Oh, come on, sheriff! Twenty-one people have died in the last three years and a half and you still claim that there’s nothing going on?!” Dean exclaimed, incredulous, opening his arms widely and almost hitting his brother’s face in the process. “Do you really think we’re so _stupid_? I’m offended! This is our job, we know when something’s going on!” He glared at the middle-aged man seated in front of him. “By keeping information from us, you’re covering a murderer, sheriff. We could charge you with complicity, you should know that!”

After having left them waiting for almost an hour and half, the sheriff had finally accepted to meet the Winchesters, but he had kept on denying that something strange had been happening to his town, even in front of a pair of supposed-to-be FBI agents. The brothers had pressed him, at first firmly but gently, and then, since the man had refused to give any information and had tried more than once to send them away, Dean had decided that he had enough of those lies and had gone for a more direct attack. It was clear that the policeman knew something, the nervousness and hostility hidden in his polite ways betrayed it, and the older hunter had no intention of losing more time with pleasantries.

“ _Agent_ , please!” Sam called out, shooting a warning glance to his sibling, who looked back at him with annoyance. Then he turned towards the policeman. “Sheriff Myers, please, forgive my colleague’s behaviour. Patience isn’t one of his talents,” he offered politely, refraining from glaring at Dean again. Then his tone became firmer. “However, I’m afraid that he’s right. You’re interfering with a federal investigation and there will be consequences for you if you don’t start to collaborate.” He crossed his arms on his chest, staring straight into the man’s eyes. “People have died, sheriff, and more will die, if we don’t stop this. There’s a pattern, it’s clear as the sun. Three victims every six month, murdered each year on the same night. It’s not a coincidence. These killings are serials.”

The sheriff rubbed a hand on his forehead, looking conflicted and almost scared. The hunters exchanged a careful glance. Everyone in the town they had tried to interrogate had shown the same kind of emotions, in their own personal way. It was as if they were afraid that something terrible would happen to them if they spoke of what they knew.

In the end, after a whole minute of silence, the man sighed and closed his eyes, folding his hands in front of him. “Alright. Listen, agents, I’m not covering anyone, I swear it to God. I’m just protecting me and my family. The last time someone spoke about this to an outsider, they both died. He was one of my best men and he wanted the Government to come and do something about the murders. He told the story to a journalist, so that she could write a detailed article. They have been two of the next three victims. Six months later, it was his girlfriend’s turn. This was two years ago and since then no one else has ever spoken about this again,” he said quietly. His tone was forced, as if each word cost him a huge effort. “After that episode, we stopped investigating. In a year and a half we had found nothing and we had only obtained to get whoever got near the truth killed. I won’t talk back if you state that I’ve been a coward, but the sorrow I’ve been facing during these years is simply too much. My men refused too to work on the case and I couldn’t blame them. I’ll give you the folder with all the information we have managed to collect. But please, no more questions. I have kids, agents. And if I were you, I’d quickly pack my things and go back to Washington before it’s too late.”

“Thank you for the advice, but I’m afraid we can’t take it, sheriff,” the younger Winchester claimed in a gentler tone. That explained a lot. Apparently whatever was murdering the people of that town was doing a very good job in keeping every prying eye away. “The folder will do. And I promise that we won’t bother you again.” He became pensive for a moment. “Just one last thing. If everyone knows about the killings, why haven’t you just left the town?”

The sheriff’s expression got even darker. “Some have tried, once the people understood that we could do nothing to protect them,” he answered slowly, looking down at his fingers. “We’ve found their corpses near the town borders the day after they had left. Whoever’s doing this won’t let anyone escape. The victims are more than twenty-one. But officially we’ve never found evidence that could connect their deaths with the other murders.” He reached for one of the drawers of the desk and pulled out a thick folder. “It’s all here. Now, I must ask you to leave.”

Sam stood up and elbowed his brother to make him do the same. “Of course,” he nodded, offering his hand to Myers. “Thank you, sheriff.”

The policeman said nothing as he shook it, doing the same with a reluctant Dean soon after, and then watched them leaving the office with the folder. When the older hunter had taken the documents from him a pang of relief had blossomed on his face, as if they had just freed him from a big responsibility. Dean had snorted quietly at that, but Sam had found it understandable. For almost four years the man had carried the burden of those deaths on his shoulders. Passing it to them didn’t make up for his failure, but at least allowed him to think that now he was no longer the one to blame.

“We’ve wasted a lot of time in there,” Dean spoke, irritated, as soon as they were out of the police station. “And for what? For a fucking bunch of papers!”

“That “bunch of papers” is the only lead we have, Dean,” Sam stated calmly, but he rolled his eyes. He understood that his brother was still annoyed about the Leviathan’s disappearance, but it wasn’t a good excuse to unload his irritation on whoever was around him. They couldn’t just ignore the fact that people were dying. However, he decided not to make more comments about the other’s bad mood and opened the folder as soon as they got in the car, looking quickly through it. “Alright. We have all the information about the victims, the autopsies, the photos of the crime scene. All the corpses, apart from the ones of the people who’ve tried to leave, have been found in an open space located just outside the town outskirts. We should check it as first thing.”

“Fine. But I’ve got the feeling that we won’t find anything relevant,” the older hunter mumbled, shifting on the driver seat. He let out a loud breath and paused for a moment before starting the engine. “You know, whatever is responsible for those deaths must be powerful. It doesn’t allow any of the citizens to leave the town and is able to drag its victims out of their houses without anyone noticing. I’m not in the mood of facing another pagan monster.”

“Considering that the murders are cyclical, it could be some kind of deity. But I’m sure that, after what happened with the Ker, Gabriel would have told us if he had sensed something,” Sam pointed out, looking thoughtful. “He isn’t in the mood for jokes or games. You know it as well. He’s as clueless as us this time.”

“Great. Then I’m hoping that he’s really investigating as he has said before disappearing, ‘cause I’m afraid that we’ll need a hand with this,” Dean stated a bit reluctantly as they headed out of town. “Any relevant connection among the victims?”

“I’ll call him as soon as we’re done,” the younger Winchester promised, then turned his attention back to the folder. “Nothing. They knew each other, but this is a small town, it’s pretty normal. No relevant disagreements or problems with each other and the other citizen. Just daily life.” He flipped through the papers. “There’s something on the crime scene. In the past, the open space was used as the place where the citizens gathered together for discussing and where itinerant companies did their shows. Maybe someone has died or has been killed and his spirit now is tormenting the town.”

“But if they had been dead for so many years, why starting now? The killings should have begun soon after his or her death,” Dean pointed out, sceptical. “It’s more likely that something has happened in that place four years ago. I don’t know, some kids making a wrong ritual or similar. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Sam nodded, tapping his fingers on the folder. “Or perhaps someone has brought a cursed object in the town. That’s a possibility too.”

The older hunter made a face. “Yeah. But I hope it’s not. Those things are really bitchy to deal with. Remember the rabbit’s foot?”

“Don’t mention it. That thing almost got me killed!”

“That’s why I don’t want to have another one in my hands again.”

Sam muttered out a quiet agreement and then turned to look out of the window as Dean raised the volume of the music. It was useless making more conjectures without an actual lead on which they could speculate. It could really be anything. They hoped that inspecting the open space would help them gathering some relevant clue that would allow them to understand what they were dealing with.

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the place. It was a round space, made of tread soil and gravel. It looked like as if it hadn’t been used for a while and the weeds had grown among the rocks making the clearing look squalid, together with different kinds of rubbish. All around it the trees grew untidily, creating a thick barrier that mostly hid the place from whoever passed on the main road. The two hunters exchanged sceptical glances before pulling out their EMF meters and walking towards the opposite side of the open space. Maybe they could reveal signs of spirit activity if one or more ghosts were behind the murders, but it would be difficult to find something more concrete. Even with the sheriff’s folder finding out what had really been happening in that town would be a real challenge.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Gabriel shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down a random street. Those humans were proving to be a challenge even for him. He had tried many of his tricks, but he hadn’t managed yet to get the information he needed. After the fifth failed conversation, he had been tempted to just break into his speaker’s mind and rip the knowledge out of it, but he had restrained himself. Considering the amount of reluctance and reticence they showed to him, the intrusion would have surely brought pain to them and required some efforts from him. Since he was working with the Winchesters he was trying to play nice and save his power for the Leviathans. However, after wasting a whole morning, he was starting to rethink his decision. He could allow himself to be a bit cruel and he would have plenty of time to recover.

A piercing yelp broke the trail of his thoughts and he lifted his eyes from the pavement to look around, searching for the source of the scream. Across the street there were a young boy and an even younger girl, surrounded by four teenagers who had to be at least three or four years older than them. The girl was on the floor, holding a bag against her chest, while the boy was standing in front of her, arms opened widely in a protective gesture.

“Stop! Go away! Leave us alone!” He was shouting with force, but Gabriel could see that he was trembling. “Why are you always tormenting us?”

“And what will you do if we don’t leave you be? Wanna fight us?” One of the aggressors asked, earning a laugh from his companions. “Now, give us your money and we’ll see you next week. Or, if you prefer, we can always have you beaten up nicely in front of your precious sister. Unless she wants so participate too.”

“Don’t you dare to touch her!” The boy exclaimed, almost growling, while the girl hugged her bag even tighter. “You’re dealing with me, leave Margot out of this!”

“Tyler…” Margot called weakly from her spot on the floor. “Please, let them have what they want and let’s go home…”

“Not this time!” Tyler said, but the determination in his voice was faltering.

“Oh, so you choose the beating?” Another teenager asked, cracking his knuckles. “Good. I was just in the mood for teaching a lesson to a weakling like you!”

“Sorry to inform you, but you and your friends are the ones who’ll learn a lesson today if you wimps do not disappear right now,” Gabriel called from behind them, making the whole group start. “You cowards only pick on who’s smaller than you. It’s not very honourable, is it?”

“Who the hell are you? And who are you calling cowards?!” The first guy exclaimed, incredulous. “I’ll make you regret your words, you freak! Mind your own business!”

The archangel easily dodged the fist that the teenager threw him, tripping him in the process and sending him on the floor, his face hitting a mud puddle that had conveniently appeared on that spot. The other aggressors hesitated for a moment, before jumping all together on him, but they ended up in a similar position, they clothes tearing in different places out of the blue. Gabriel watched them, raising an eyebrow and slowly playing with the knife he had stolen from the one who had to be the boss of the gang. Fighting humans was so easy that he almost didn’t need to move a finger to get rid of them.

“Are you done?” He asked when the four lifted their heads from the asphalt. “Or do I need to work you over again?” He stopped moving the blade and held it out towards them. “And I promise you that I’ll do much worse if you don’t leave these kids alone once and for all. Got it, yellow-bellied?”

The four exchanged glances and growled at him, but got up and fled as quickly as possible. He watched them until they disappeared behind a corner and nodded in satisfaction. He had never liked bullies and he was surely finding a way to prank on those idiots before he left the town. The Winchesters wouldn’t be happy, but he couldn’t care less. Those humans deserved every wicked idea that would come into his mind. He smirked widely at the thought and turned towards the two children, who were staring at him in awe.

“You alright, kiddos?” He asked, watching the boy helping the girl up.

“Yeah. Thank you, mister,” Margot nodded slowly, while Tyler frowned deeply. “They always bully us. And they steal our pocket money every week.”

“No mister here. Name’s Gabriel,” the former Trickster corrected her, taking a step towards them. “Well, this was the last time. Trust me, girl. They won’t bother you again.”

“How can you be so sure? In this place everybody does what they want. Not even the police can do something about it. Not after the murders started. You’re obviously an outsider since you don’t know this,” Tyler talked back in a gloomy tone. “We’re all going to be chosen sooner or later, so no one cares about what happens to the others. It wasn’t like that before. Now not even Dad cares if those bastards beat us up.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the killings. Maybe it was his chance to gain some more information. “The murders?” He repeated calmly, titling his head slightly. “You mean the three people that are killed every six months?”

The boy seemed to immediately regret his previous words. “We can’t talk about this. They told us not to,” he quickly amended, looking away. “You get chosen if you do.”

“But you’ll get killed anyway sooner or later, won’t you? You told me that,” the archangel pointed out, opening his arms. “Listen to me, kiddo. I’m here with two friends to stop all this. But we can’t do anything if no one tells us what’s going on. I’ve been around all morning asking in vain for some information. I saved you, you owe me a little favour.”

“How are you planning to stop this? You can’t. They tried for a long time and they all died,” Tyler pointed out, bitterly. “You’ll die as well.”

The creature crossed his arms, swallowing an harsh comment and forcing himself to be patient instead. “I see your point, Tyler. That’s your name, isn’t it? Well, I understand. You’ve seen many people died around you, maybe even someone close to you and your sister,” he spoke gently and saw the children flinching at his last words. He reached out for the surface of their thoughts and the images of a gravestone with a woman’s name on it spread in his minds. “It was…your mother, wasn’t it?”

The boy looked at him in shock and Margot, who had been silent since then, exclaimed: “How do you know? You know us?”

He couldn’t help chuckling a bit. “In a way, I do,” he replied cryptically with a playful grin. “I know many things, Margot. You can’t imagine. I have a secret as well, and I’m sure that if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. We could make an exchange. I tell you that if you tell me about those murders.”

The siblings exchange an uncertain glance and then looked back at him. Gabriel titled his head. He could sense their curiosity, but the reluctance was still too strong to let them open their minds to him. They were scared to death and full of suspicion. He could understand. He had spent most of his life deceiving and lying, so he knew too well how much trusting someone could cost.

“Alright. I’ll start telling you something,” he said after some more moments of silence. “You wanna know why I’m sure we’ll stop whatever is going on? Because my friends hunt monsters for a living. They’ve been doing this since when they were younger than you two. And they’re pretty good at it. The bests maybe. As for myself, I can be really useful.”

“Are you some kind of secret agents?” Tyler asked, frowning again, this time in both confusion and scepticism. “And what do you mean with “monsters”?”

“We work on our own, no big organisation involved. They…We just protect people because that’s what we want to do,” the archangel answered, trying to hide the bit of uncertainty that had made him stutter. He wasn’t part of the Winchesters’ small team. Not really. But he surely couldn’t tell the children that he was one of the monsters either. “All the kind of monsters. The human ones, but also the ones who hide in the darkest places of this world.”

“Dad says that those monsters don’t exist. They’re just stories to scare the children,” Margot pointed out, looking at him in a strange way. “You must be lying! Or you’re nuts.”

“Sometimes I wish I could agree with your father, Margot. It would be much easier for you humans,” he shrugged, looking up at the sky. If God had thought the world better, making it free from any sort of abomination, maybe humankind would have been allowed some sort of happiness. But it wasn’t in his Father’s style to make things easy. “But I guess that it would mean that I wouldn’t exist either. And I like being alive, so I’m fine with the current state of things.”

Tyler raised an eyebrow in a way that reminded him of himself when he heard the worst crap, but in his eyes there was a strange glimpse he couldn’t interpret, similar to the odd look that had run on his sister’s face just a moment before. “You’re implying that you’re a monster?”

He smirked, amused. He hadn’t planned the conversation to take that turn, but he was enjoying the reaction of his speakers. “Someone called me that way, more than once. But if you need to classify me, I’m, just to quote one of my younger brothers, an angel of the Lord. Gabriel, the archangel. Ever heard of him? That’s me!” The children stared at him as if he was crazy and his grin widened even more. They didn’t believe him, as he had expected. After all, he didn’t get how some humans could still believe in his Father with all the evil that destroyed their world every day a bit more. “You see? You still think I’m lying.”

“Prove it!” The girl stated, crossing her arms and trying to look threatening. “Where are your wings? Angels have wings, don’t they? And they should be gorgeous!”

The former Trickster stared at her in disbelief. “Hey! No need to be offensive! I _am_ good-looking!” He protested loudly, feeling slightly offended. “What’s wrong with my looks?”

Margot blushed to the roots of her hair at that. “I…Sorry! I didn’t mean to say that you’re ugly!” She muttered, embarrassed, looking at her shoes and shifting her weight on her feet. “It’s just…I mean, you…You’re so… _short_.”

“Here we go again,” Gabriel grumbled between himself as he rolled his eyes. What was with humans and his height? “This isn’t my true form. Humans can’t look at it, ‘cause if they do it would burn their eyes out,” he explained, gaining slightly impressed looks. An idea came into his mind. “Listen, I’m not sure that I can prove you that I’m an angel, but I surely can prove you that I’m not human. I’m very good with tricks. _Real_ magic ones.” He grinned at them and snapped his fingers, materializing two steaming cups in his hands. “You both like hot chocolate, don’t you?”

The two widened their eyes in wonder, but it took them some more moments to find the courage to reach out for the mugs. They were hot and undeniably solid. The archangel watched them took the first sip and his satisfaction grew even more when he saw their eyes sparkling with delight. From the expressions they wore when they looked back at him he immediately knew that he had conquered them.

“Best chocolate in the word!” Tyler exclaimed cheerfully, licking the thick hot liquid away from his lips. “Better than Aunt Amy’s!”

“Yeah! You really must be an angel! Bad monsters wouldn’t be able to make something so good,” Margot agreed, nodding with force, her face pressed in her cup.

Gabriel felt the urge to correct her, to tell her that he had done many bad things, that the Devil was his eldest brother and that he could do a lot of marvellous things as well, but he decided against it. They would learn on their own that the difference between right and wrong wasn’t so easy to see. “I’m glad you like it. Now, isn’t your turn to tell me something?”

They hesitated for a moment, but in the end the boy nodded. “Yes. If you…If you really can stop this…You need to know. But not here. Follow us.”

The children turned around and started walking down the street without waiting for  an answer. The archangel followed, briefly wondering where they were leading him, but he abandoned the question almost immediately. He would see once they got there. Along the way the few people they met glared at him with suspicion, but nobody tried to stop them or ask what a stranger was doing with two kids. Tyler had spoken the truth: everybody cared only about themselves and they would gladly close their eyes before any kind of crime. Living for four years with the terror that they would be the next ones had destroyed almost every feeling of empathy.

They reached their destination after about ten minutes. Tyler opened a small wooden gate for him, letting him in a well-kept garden. Margot ran towards the house set in the middle of the small field and disappeared inside. The boy, instead, pulled his sleeve and led him towards a table set under the small porch set against the side of the building. Gabriel sat down, quickly looking around. It was a good place for living, even if it was a bit too spartan for his personal likings.

The girl came back in that moment, carrying a trail with a carafe of juice and a plate full of biscuits. “I made them!” She claimed proudly, pointing the sweets. “I hope you’ll like them.”

“Thanks, girl,” the former Trickster grinned, grabbing a cookie. “I’ll surely love them. You see, I’m an angel with a sweet tooth.”

Margot chuckled and sat down next to Tyler, who was wearing a more serious expression. His sister had to sense the tension because grew quiet almost immediately and busied herself with filling their glasses.

Gabriel finished his biscuit, licking the crumbs away from his fingers before speaking. “So, Tyler, your turn. I’m listening.”

The boy kept quiet for some moments, still not persuaded that he had made the right choice. The archangel didn’t press him, deciding that it would be unproductive, but kept his eyes fixed on his thin figure, expectantly. He could see doubt and fear swim in child’s brown eyes, but he also grasped a glimpse of determination. The terror that those four years had left inside him was strong, but the desperation and the sorrow caused by his mother’s death had made the will to see all that ending even stronger.

In the end Tyler sighed and started to speak. “Actually, we don’t know very much about this. We’re just kids, the adults never speak about this kind of things when we are around. Just Mom used to explain us the situation. She believed that we deserve to know what was happening in our town.” He stopped for a moment, fixing his gaze on the table. “Dad’s never been happy with her telling us those stories, mostly because he thought that they were all crap. You see, Mom was a real believer. She believed in God, Heaven and angels. But she also believed that Evil and monsters were real as well. Not the kind of fake monsters they say that hide under children’s beds of course, but those who hurt and killed people, like the ones you and your friends hunt.” He frowned unhappily at the memory. “Margot has always taken words for true, even if she never admitted it, but I didn’t. I thought it was just a way to keep the truth from us, not to have us known that the monster behind the killings was someone like us. A person. But I found out that I was wrong.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the last sentence and waited for the boy to go on, but the other remained quiet, a dark expression on his face. He bit back a sighed. Why were humans so difficult when it came to tell what they know? “What happened, Tyler?” He asked in the end, seeing that he was getting only silence. “What did you see?”

Tyler made a reluctant noise, but before he could open his mouth, Margot answered for him. “We were up that night, when Mom disappeared. We saw her go away,” she spoke, looking extremely uneasy. “But it wasn’t her. I mean, it was her but at the same time she wasn’t. It was as if she was…was…”

“Possessed?” The archangel finished for her, seeing that the girl was unable to find an appropriate word to describe her mother’s state. He narrowed his eyes, shifting on his chair. The story was starting to get interesting.

“Yeah. I…I think. Something like that,” the girl nodded, uncertainty dripping from her tone. “We saw her from the window of our room and we immediately knew that something was wrong. It was the Night, that was why we were up. Someone says that, maybe, if you don’t sleep you don’t get taken. We ran after her and we reached her before she could leave the garden. Tyler called her name and she turned. Her eyes were…” Her voice broke, but she forced herself to keep going. “They were so empty. She was not our Mom. She never smiled in that cruel way, nor said those bad things. We were scared and we ran away. We didn’t try to stop her.” She started to sob and her brother immediately hugged her tightly, but his face betrayed the same amount of guilt and regret.

Gabriel got up and stretched an arm towards them. “There, there, kids. It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have stopped her. No one could have,” he said, even if it wasn’t the complete truth, making them look up towards him. He forced a smile. “You were brave enough to run to her. She surely knows this and I bet she is very proud of you.” He mentally snorted at his clichéd words, but forced himself not to roll his eyes. They seemed to have worked on his speakers, even if he found them awfully trivial. Margot had stopped sobbing and Tyler looked less tense. He decided to exploit the light change of mood to press them. “Now, kids. I need to know what kind of horror stories your mother used to tell you. I’m sure that whatever it’s hidden in them is the key to solve this mystery and stop what had taken her once and for all.”

The girl shot a questioning glance at his brother, who hesitated for a moment before shrugging. “Go on, Margot. You’re better than me at telling stories,” he stated in the end, even if he didn’t seem to be agreeing with his own words. The tale brought back to them painful memories and he would have rather not making his sister tell it, but she had always been much more attentive than him when their mother spoke about those events and so she surely remembered more details.

“You know the field where the body has been found, Gabriel? Well, a long time ago travelling performers companies made their shows there,” Margot started to tell, playing with her glass of juice. “Now it doesn’t happen anymore, because they prefer going to bigger cities, but back then it was a tradition of this town to welcome them. Each company used to stay for a week or so and then came back the next year in the same period. Mom was a child at the time, but she still remembered the last performances that have taken place here.” She stopped for a moment, as if she was trying to find the best way to get to the point. “There was a circus that used to come twice a year. Mom has never seen it because its last show was more than fifty years ago, before she was born, but she has heard about it from one of the old men of the town. She always said that the performances were spectacular and breathtaking, and that the performers were amazing. But she also told us that there was something strange. The atmosphere was dark and frightening. The shows took place in semidarkness and the background music was disquieting. Mom used to call it the “Circus of Horrors”. Nothing bad happened, until when, one night, there was a huge fire which killed many of the people who worked in the circus and destroyed the whole camp.”

“Mom told us that the police considered it an accident, but there wasn’t a real investigation. So the survivors left as soon as they managed and never came back,” Tyler went on, seeing his sibling hesitating again. “However, the man who told her the story disagreed with the accident theory. He never told why he did, but he confessed to our mother that the circus was cursed and that the fire was just the first act of a terrible revenge.”

“A revenge? Against the town?” Gabriel asked, frowning. He had spent enough time among humans to know very well the extent of black magic powers. If he had guessed the end of the story right, he wouldn’t have been surprise to hear that the old man’s theory was that someone had managed to bind a whole bunch of murderous ghosts to that town.

Margot however shook her head. “No, against the performers. The man told Mom about this fortune-teller who worked at the circus. He didn’t really take part in the shows, but he came in the town during the day and read the card to whoever asked him. His predictions were incredibly accurate. Apparently he had a fight with some other members of the circus because he had foretold something they hadn’t liked. He was wounded badly and lost his sight. The owner of the circus decided that he had no use for him, also because he didn’t want other tensions among the performers, and he was cast out,” she explained quietly, and the archangel had the impression that she was feeling bad for that human, even if he could be the one indirectly responsible for the murderers. “The fortune-teller remained here after the circus left, but his life wasn’t easy. He had to live mostly on charity and, even if most people tried to be kind with him, he was so full of hate that nothing really mattered to him but his revenge. Then, when the circus came back six months later, on the night of the last show, the fire happened. The fortune-teller was found dead in his tent the day after with a talisman in his left hand. Heart attack, Mom said. But she and the old man thought that it had been something else.”

“The price for the curse,” the former Trickster added for her, receiving a nod as an answer. He crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. “Makes sense. The guy gets blinded and kicked out and seeks revenge for that. While he stays here, he finds the right incantation, something that will give his former buddies a fate similar to his. They’ll be forced to stay forever in a world where they don’t belong, unable to interact with it and to find peace. But…Something must have happened since the spirits are able to commit these murders. The ghosts are obviously enraged and they unload their hate for their situation on the people of the town, not letting anyone who was born here escape.” He hummed quietly. “Powerful stuff. It won’t be easy to undo it.”

“But if that’s true, why have the murders started only four years ago? If the spell had a weak point, why the spirits haven’t used it before?” Tyler asked, looking sceptical, but Gabriel could clearly feel the fear underneath his attitude. “It doesn’t make sense. Does it?”

“Good question, kiddo. You’re smart,” the archangel commented, flashing him a grin. “You see, this kind of magic needs to be bond to something physical to work. Our guy must have created some kind of cursed object, namely the amulet he was holding when he died, and paid with his life the price of the magic. Now, this kind of objects is really… _susceptible_. Most likely four years ago some idiot found it without knowing what it was and unintentionally altered the spell, releasing the spirits.”

“And it’s those two night of the years because one is the day when they have banished the fortune-teller and the other is the one of their deaths?” The girl asked, her eyes lighting up with understanding. “Am I right, Gabriel?”

The creature nodded, smiling. “Yep, smart girl. That’s the most logical reason. Ghosts are creatures of habit, they’re linked to something specific,” he explained, gesturing a bit. “In our case, the date. Surely my friends could give you more explanations, they’re the experts. I know only what I saw during the centuries. I’ve never been really interested in the dead. They are boring, for the most.” The children gave him a weird look and he smirked at them, getting up and grabbing the last two cookies. “Sorry, little ones, but now I must go. You gave me exactly what I needed and it’s time for me and my buddies to sort this all out.” He waved his hands and held out a piece of paper to Margot. “That’s the address of the hotel were my boys are staying. If you need something, come to see us, alright?”

They nodded and Tyler got up, offering his hand to him. “Yes. Thank you, Gabriel. Please, kill those things for us,” he spoke quietly.

The archangel reached out, ignoring the polite gesture, and ruffled both children’s hair. “I will, don’t worry. You won’t have to fear them ever again,” he promised sincerely for once. “And I’ll take care also of your other bully problem.” He winked at them. “See ya soon, kids. Be good! But not too much!”

One moment later he was back at the hotel. The room was empty, so he guessed that the Winchesters had to be still out, looking for a lead. The idea of going out and looking for them wasn’t tempting at all, so he grabbed his phone and dialled Sam’s number. When the younger hunter’s voice reached his ear he grinned widely. “Heya, Samsquatch. I got something for you and your brother. Pay attention, ‘cause I’ve solved your case. And from now on I dare you two to say that I’m useless…”


	16. XVI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not updating for such a long time. Unfortunately in the last months I had, and still have, very little time to use for writing, since I've got a lot going on in my life right now. Also, I haven't felt very motivated to keep writing this particular story either. I'm not abandoning it, just I really can't tell when the updates will come.  
> Thanks to whoever is still sticking with me. Comments would really help!
> 
>  **Warnings:** This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

Charlene stared hard at the small hard disk set on the desk in front of her. Roman’s personal assistant had come to her more than one hour before, slipping behind her so silently that she hadn’t noticed her presence until the other woman had coughed politely to attract her attention. Susan, that was her name, she reminded herself, had handed her the black box, offering her a few words to remind her what she was supposed to do, and then had left almost without giving her the time to nod in acknowledgement.

The IT employee had allowed herself to shiver once she had been sure that the woman was far enough. She couldn’t forget that Susan was most likely another people-eating monster, despite her pleasant appearance. After all, if she was a Leviathan, it would have meant that those were not her real features, but the ones she had stolen from the real Susan. A stream of unpleasant images had broken into her mind, showing her many creative ways in which the real assistant could have been killed and devoured by her lookalike. With another shudder, she had chased those thoughts away and had focused on her task. Hacking firewalls and bypassing password was much safer than dwelling on that kind of fantasies.

However, the hard disk had proven itself to be a real challenge, even for someone so experienced and smart as her. Frank Devereaux, whoever he was or, as she was inclined to think, _had been_ , seemed to have built a digital security system that could easily make Quantico’s one look like child’s play. The guy was good and, especially, he had to have been a paranoiac by the book. Every time she managed to decode a part of the firewall and open a door, somehow the system managed to intercept her and threw her out, so that she had to start all over once again.

She had tried without success for a whole hour, never losing heart in spite of all her failed attempts, and yet the hard disk kept on refusing her an access to its data. In the end she had stopped, deciding to take a brief break, and had crossed her arms on the desk, resting her chin on them, eyes fixed on the device. She had always liked a good challenge, but that time she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it. The more time that passed by, the more she got the feeling that she wouldn’t like whatever she would find in that digital safe and the less she was inclined to complete her task. On the other hand, she knew that she needed to find out what the Leviathans were planning. Not just because that was what Crowley wanted her to do, but because she had understood very well how dangerous those monsters were for her kind. According to the King of Hell, they had arrived on Earth just a week and half before. They couldn’t have make too much damage in that brief lapse of time, no matter how much powerful they were. Maybe there was still a good chance to stop them before it was too late. This assuming that the information collected by the Frank guy was enough to understand what was Roman’s plan. After all he had been discovered pretty quickly, something that made her suspicious considering the type of man she thought he was, and so she couldn’t have had the time to gather much.

She ran a hand in her hair, humming pensively. There was something really wrong in the whole matter, starting from her involvement. There were many brilliant computer technicians working for the RRE, and yet she had been the chosen one. It was true, she was without doubt the best among them, but she had never made anything to make her bosses noticing her too much. Exception for the money she regularly stole from the company capital to donate it to no-profit organisations. But that was something she didn’t want her supervisor to know and, for what she knew, no one had noticed yet.

She shook her head and pulled her laptop out of her bag. The computers of the company were nice pieces of technology, but they lacked her personal touch. Maybe using her own notebook she would obtain some result. She connected the hard disk and started to key quickly once again, fighting the security codes, but her mind wasn’t completely focused. The question kept on disturbing her thoughts and it unsettled her to no end. Why _her_ of all people? Roman was unearthly brilliant, enough to understand people at first glance, to see if they had the _spark_ , as he had called it. But how did _Crowley_ know?

She blinked, stopping for a moment. She had never thought about that. She had assumed that he knew because the Devil had to know everything, but he wasn’t the real Lucifer. He was just a demon who had been smart and manipulative enough to have a successful “carrier” in Hell, he himself had told her that. He wasn’t omniscient. And he had admitted that he knew very little about the Leviathans. So he surely couldn’t have guessed their intentions. On the other hand, while running the Pit and even before that, he had always been careful about whatever happened on the Earth. He surely had watched the humans for long enough to understand who could be useful and who could be dangerous, who was relevant for him and who wasn’t.

Suddenly all pieces clicked together and her eyes widened. If Frank Devereaux had been so quick to notice the Leviathans, it meant that he had to know about the monsters that hid themselves in the shadows of everyday life. It meant that the man was paranoid enough to monitor all the most unusual activities that happened around the planet. Someone like him was relevant for Crowley. He could be both a threat and a tool, depending on the situation. Moreover, the King or Hell had to have watched the Leviathans’ movements closely since the day they had left Purgatory, which was why he knew that their boss had taken Roman’s place. If the fake Dick had taken interest in the company there had to be a reason and surely the demon had investigated carefully, perhaps even checking on the employees that caught his attention. Like her. Now she had on one side a paranoid technology expert interested in the supernatural and on the other herself, a brilliant hacker who worked by chance for the RRE. Crowley had come to her announcing that Roman would have asked for her help. Some days later poor Frank was discovered by the Leviathans so that Dick had actually a need for her skills. It sounded awfully like a plot.

“Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed, looking down at her Hermione action figure. She looked around, making sure that no one was paying attention to her, and lowered her voice. “He played us, H! Why didn’t I see this before? He needed someone who could spy the Leviathans for him, a mere, above suspicion human. Like _me_! So he comes to me and makes one of his rhetorical speeches, exploiting the fact that I’m too shocked to think properly. I mean, the Devil in person in my living room! Then he sends me to the Winchesters, to see if I can stand the tension, and, after that, he hands Frank over to Roman, so that he would need a computer expert to decrypt his hard disk. And here am I, a human that Roman considers both useful and harmless, and who could, in time, gain access to more information about his master plan. Crowley gains his spy _and_ the access to the information Frank has gathered until now, even if it can’t be too much.” She let out a groan. “I’m a fool! I trusted a _demon_! Damn! And I was starting to consider him a nice partner! Good job, Charlie, really. He charmed you and you fell for it.”

She stared at the screen of her computer. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t just leave. They would have found her sooner or later. But she couldn’t allow Crowley to put his hands on those pieces of information either. She had no intention of being one of his puppets. Maybe she could exploit the situation to her advantage. If she managed to hack the drive she could alter whatever was inside, making sure that Roman couldn’t find anything useful. Frank had to have some connection with the world of the hunters and she couldn’t allow the Leviathans to find out. Then, instead of bringing the information to Crowley, she could call Gabriel. He and the brothers wouldn’t be exactly happy to know that she had been working for the King of Hell, but she hoped that they would forgive her since she would bring them something useful for their battle. As for her current partner-in-crime, she had to find a way to gain enough time to reach the Winchesters without him finding out what she was doing. It would be extremely difficult, but she had to try.

She nodded to Hermione with a new determination and went back working on the hard disk. If the Devil wanted to play, she was willing to go along with him, but she would follow her own rules from now on. She bit her lips, frowning in concentration and trying to ignore the feeling of anger and disappointment that had blossomed in her chest.

 

The sun was setting when she finally managed to break into the security system of the drive. Most of her colleagues had already gone home, but she had acknowledged only partially the goodbyes that had been thrown in her direction, since all her attention was focused on the screen of her laptop. Harry had given her a friendly pat on the shoulder before leaving, but for once she had just nodded absent-mindedly instead of going for their usual exchange of jokes. Her co-worker had to have understood that she was doing something important because he had left her working without trying to distract her any further. He was a good friend, even if from time to time he was too much of a good guy for her likings.

At first, when the sign “access granted” finally appeared on the screen, she didn’t notice it. Her eyes were glued to the keyboard, her mind seeking actively for all the other tricks she hadn’t tried yet. Then, when she lifted her gaze, it took her a couple of second to realise the meaning of the words that were shining lightly against the black background. Her lips opened in a mute “o” and she felt satisfied excitement and fear exploding in her chest. She had finally made it. She had to put all her self-control not to jump on her feet and scream and dance. Instead she kept an almost straight face and started to key in once again. She didn’t know if one of Roman’s minions was watching over her, so prudence was the best thing.

Frank’s hard drive was full of information about _everything_ , from imaginary governmental plots to the last spotting of supernatural activities. The section dedicated to the Leviathans was small, but she looked at it carefully anyway. It contained mostly information about the killings they had committed and the new identities they had taken for themselves. Roman and Susan were the firsts of the list and so she learned that the assistant was the Leviathan leader’s second in command. She noticed that most monsters had taken the bodies of important people, especially businessmen and head physicians, and a couple of politicians too. It seemed that they were building a net that could allow them to control people’s lifestyle for some reason. Frank had also made a quick note about missing parts of corpses from various morgues. “Food” was written under it.

Charlie frowned, closing the folder quickly and deciding that she could leave the information there. It was too little to be of some use for Roman. She started to browse the other sections of the device. Some conspiracy theories were actually quite interesting, but she forced herself not to linger on them. She had more important things to do. She focused instead on the supernatural section, noticing that, despite having a lot of information about many hunters, Devereaux didn’t seem to have any kind of connection with them. There was just one name that came out frequently and so she decided to delete any reference to that Bobby Singer guy, just as a precaution. Whoever he was, if they ever met, he would owe her a favour.

She was about to stop reading and consider herself satisfied with her job when her eyes met another name, a familiar one this time. Winchester. She stopped her hand mid-air and scanned quickly the rest of the documents. She went through it, writing down the information that could come useful to her. Apparently the two were close friends with the Singer guy and Frank knew his address. Actually the man seemed to have quite a lot of information on the two brothers, considering the high number of references that were listed. She sighed. She still had some cleaning to do before going home. But she wasn’t complaining. That was another reason why Dean and Sam should turn a blind eye on her affiliation with Crowley.

Finally, half an hour later, she was walking her way to Roman’s office, the now harmless hard disk in her hands and her bag on her shoulder. She had considered bringing it home and handing it back the day after, but she had decided against it. The quicker she got rid of the device, the sooner she would be able to leave and join the Winchesters. Besides, working on it only at her job place arose less suspicions.

When she reached Susan’s desk, she found it unexpectedly empty. Usually the woman was always there, controlling whoever came to the office and busy with her computer. Charlie sat down on the edge of one of the chairs and looked around anxiously, waiting for someone to show up and ask her what she needed. She rocked a bit, slowly playing with the hard disk. Maybe she could just leave it on the desk with a post-it, just not to have to wait there all evening. Or she could find the courage to go and knock at Roman’s door. She pursed her lips, considering that last option with a pang of uneasiness. It sounded like something she would have done if she hadn’t known about the man’s true identity. So that was what she was supposed to do.

With a sigh, she forced herself out of the chair, swallowing her nervousness, and stepped in the small corridor that leaded to the office. Instinctively she kept her feet as light as possible and even her breath came out more quietly. The wooden door was left ajar and she could hear some voices coming from inside the room. It seemed that Roman was having a meeting. After some moments of hesitation her curiosity won over any caution and she slipped against the wall until she found a position that allowed her to spy inside. She couldn’t see the whole room but she got a glimpse of a group of people seated in circle in the middle of the office. Dick Roman was right in front of her, but his eyes were fixed on the man in white coat standing before him. She couldn’t see his face, but she could tell that he was nervous from the restless movements of his hands.

“I’m sorry, sir. I…You are right. But I can fix this,” the man was stuttering, sounding desperate. “No one will ever know the truth. I’ll find a way to clear this.”

Roman’s nodded in patient understanding, his expression showing a sympathy that was in hard contrast with the coldness of his eyes. “Oh, I’m sure you will. But you see, Steve, I gave you rules when we started this. And you have broken two of them,” he said quietly, offering the man one of his creepy smiles. “Our golden rule is “there’s no such thing as monsters”, and now we have a couple of nosy hunters investigating in your hospital, doc. The second one was “never make the papers”, and you are partially involved in a non-existent organ trade. And this just because you have been a little too greedy. We can’t allow the humans to find out what we are preparing for them. We have a whole planet to feed on, a flock that we can make perfect for our food needs, and we can’t surely waste this opportunity because of some sloppy mistake, don’t you agree?” He crossed his legs never stopping smiling. “So, how am I supposed to deal with you?”

“I’ll do anything, sir, _anything_ to fix this,” the other Leviathan pleaded, starting to breathe harshly. “Just tell me…”

“Don’t worry, I know exactly what to do,” Dick cut him off, waving a hand towards Susan, who was seated next to him. “You’ll be an example for your companions.”

Charlie watched the woman pull out a piece of plastic from a brief case and frowned in confusion as she saw the standing man looking at it in disbelief. He had turned a bit and now she could see how pale his face was.

“You are _bibbing_ me?” He asked, looking back at Roman, sounding completely astonished.

“Please, be my guest, Steve,” the Leviathan leader said as one of the other presents pushed an armchair behind the doctor, inviting him to sit down.

The latter obeyed the silent command, slowly sinking in his seat. Susan stepped forward, going to stand behind him and tying the piece of plastic, which turned out to be a bib, around his neck. She smiled down at him and went back to her chair. The man looked around, but met only expectant stares, and so he raised his hand face. His eyes fell on Roman one last time, receiving a small nod that was the mockery of an encouraging gesture.

Charlene had to press a hand on her mouth when she saw what happened next. The man dislocated his jaw, revealing a mouth full of sharp yellow teeth and a forked tongue, and then bit his hand down, starting to devour himself. She stumbled back, her stomach revolting painful, and quickly made her way back to the waiting room. Once there, she allowed herself to let out a strangled noise of disgust and terror. That was what Crowley had meant while speaking of the “Leviathans’ smile”. She would have rather never find it out. With trembling hands, she left the hard disk on the desk and write down a quick note for Susan, then she went straight to the elevator and press the hall button. The only thing she wanted in that moment was to go home, forget the horror scene she had just witnessed and pack her things. She was leaving that evening and she would go straight to the address she had found in Frank’s hard disk. Screw Crowley, screw Roman, screw everything. She would call Gabriel once on the train. If she was quick she could catch one of the last ones.

The cool air of the evening hit her, washing away part of the shock and making her mind a bit more lucid. She took a couple of deep breaths. She could do it. She just needed to stay calm until she would be on her way to Singer’s house. Then she would allow herself to have a nervous breakdown. But not sooner. Survival came first. Whatever psychological trauma could be cured if she stayed alive. Assuming that she would find a psychiatrist willing to listen to her without immediately locking her in a nuthouse.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Castiel came back to reality on a cold stone floor. He hadn’t exactly passed out, but his consciousness had become so confused that he hadn’t been aware of his surroundings for at least a couple of hours after the demons had left him alone in the cell. The heat of the fire brushed his skin, making him aware that he was trapped, but also soothing the painful ache that ran all over his body. There was a pool of dried blood under his bare and once again whole shoulder. The flesh was back in its place but there was an ugly scar on the outline of the bite. He sat up and rubbed a hand over it, trying to ease the contracted muscles.

He looked around. There wasn’t much in the room, apart from the fire circle. In a corner there was a small, dirty folding bed and opposite to it a small table with a chair. Nothing useful to get him out, not that he was expecting to be able to escape so easily. He was dealing with Crowley after all. He quickly checked his other injuries, finding them in a much better state than they had been when he had accidentally landed in the house. The demon had to have put some kind of anti-intrusion spell around his property and he had been too confused to sense it when he had crossed its border. He should have been more careful.

He fixed his torn clothes absent-mindedly. Why was he still alive? Did the Ruler of Hell want to torture him before ending him? Was he craving for some kind of payback for his betrayal? He had no idea. Crowley was unpredictable and he always seemed to be playing on more than one chessboard at the same time. It was impossible to guess his real intentions, buried as they were under so many plots and deceits.

In that moment the door of the cell opened and the said demon entered, hands sunk deep in the pockets of his expensive suite. “Hello, Castiel. Nice to see you off the floor,” he greeted cheerfully, but his smile was all teeth. “I apologise for the inconvenience.” He gestured toward the holy fire. “But I’m sure you understand why I can’t trust you after the last trick you played on me.”

“Cut off these pleasantries. You have no need to charm me, Crowley,” the angel talked back, frowning at him. “Just tell what you have come to say.”

“Oh, bad mood? I guess you haven’t really rested in these hours. The healing process must have been quite uncomfortable for you considering your current state,” the King of Hell said, in a fake sympathetic tone. “I’m trying to be a good host. Or, well, to be as polite as possible considering our history. You cheated on me. That’s not easy to forget and forgive, angel boy.” He chuckled darkly starting to pace around the circle, but his eyes stayed glue on his captive. “Anyway, you’re lucky, because I could actually decide to spare your sorry existence and let you go. However, I’ll need you to do something for me in exchange. And of course you’ll still owe me a big one.”

“Are you offering me another deal? To spare my life?” Castiel asked, his voice full of suspicion. The other had no reason to be merciful towards him, and that was one more reason not to trust his words. “Why should you, after what happened last time? I thought you wanted to have no more business with Heaven for a while.”

The Devil smirked widely, without stopping his pacing. “Oh, but you aren’t Heaven now, Cas. Your…sister is. You are just a renegade. And a falling one. Besides, I’m the one holding the reins this time. And you can do nothing but accept my conditions or die. You’re at my mercy. There’s no way for you to evade or trick me this time,” he sang, sounding terribly amused. “And I really, really enjoy having you under my control. So, what do you say?”

The angel glared at him with hatred. “I don’t think I have a real choice, haven’t I?” He spat, feeling mocked. “What are your conditions?”

“Relax, dear. We’re going to be buddies for a while once again. You should at least pretend to enjoy my company. Or is this fire that makes you so snappy?” Crowley teased, going to stand right in front of him, a mere step away from the flames. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you anything too nasty. On the contrary, I think you’ll enjoy your task at least a bit. But firstly, I’ve got some questions.” He took a hand out of his pocket and waved it, conjuring a glass of red wine. “How is it that you are letting yourself falling so quickly? For what I know you should have some tricks to restore at least part of your powers. And the process is going on pretty fast, isn’t it? What am I missing about this whole affair?”

“This is not a demon’s business,” Castiel answered curtly, but his face darkened. The other was right. He was doing nothing to stop his fall. He could have got some energy out of a soul and he was sure that Shane, Richard and Thomas would have allowed him gladly, if he had asked. But the truth was that what the older hunter had said was true. He felt unworthy of forgiveness and so he didn’t think he deserved any kind of help or kindness. They had shared their home with him, treated his wounds, comforted him, while he was feeling so guilty and ashamed of himself. It was already too much, he couldn’t have asked for more. “But I guess this is part of our deal, isn’t it? If you really wish to know, I didn’t have the chance to. After we parted our ways, I’ve been on my own and I had to fight both my siblings and your minions every day. Having to heal myself constantly takes a good deal of my powers. Especially after I have opened and closed the Door of Purgatory so recently.”

“Yeah, this could explain your lack of energy and your poor state. Not to mention that, judging from your wounds, the last thing you fought was a Leviathan, wasn’t it?” The demon conceded, his eyes studying him carefully. “But it still doesn’t tell me why you’re more of a human than an angel. You were still with shining halo and wings the last time I saw you. What’s wrong with my favourite bird? Are you _ill_?”

He held his gaze impassively. “It is nothing a filthy and traitorous creature like you can understand, so I advise you not to waste your time asking.” His voice was firm and emotionless, but deep inside he was shaking. Crowley could see that he was falling, very fast, but he could have never guessed what his fate would be if he didn’t find a way to escape it. Raphael didn’t know either, or she would have left him dying alone in his vain research instead of sending his minions to try to capture him.

There had been only few precedents and no one was happy to remember them. Angels shouldn’t lose their faith, ever. They had been _created_ to believe, it should have been impossible for them to stop. It should have, but it had happened before and now it was happening to him. His Father had abandoned him and his siblings, leading them to war twice, and He had never answered, no matter how hard he had prayed and searched. He could no longer put his trust in Him, and he would never do it again.

For a while, he had thought, _really_ believed that he could have faith in something else. In _someone_ else. But Dean had refused to trust him and, even if the events had proven him right, Castiel had felt used, as if the human had kept him around just because he was useful, never really trusting him. Which wasn’t true, but he had had a hard time to keep that thought out of his mind. However, after what had happened, he couldn’t have blamed the hunter if he had refused to trust him ever again. He was the one who had committed the real betrayal, Dean had just done his best to avoid the worst. And yet he couldn’t make himself putting his faith and hope in the human anymore. He felt somehow unworthy of it and it was not enough trusting him if Dean didn’t trust him back. So he was alone, truly alone, without a anchor or a reference point, and the void in his chest was sucking his energies, consuming them and making him fall faster than he should have. Without faith an angel was nothing and it was doomed to cease to exist.

Only Gabriel knew what was really happening to him, he had read it in his brother’s intense gaze the last time they had talked. For a moment he had almost hoped that the archangel stopped him and forced him to stay, to give his crazy idea up. If he hadn’t left, the other could have refilled his Grace, kept him alive, at least for a while. But he knew that it wasn’t the solution to his problem. He would have been just a burden for his companions and the tense atmosphere would have made everything even more difficult. He couldn’t stay. He needed to find a way to do what Dean had asked him, to go back to be who he used to be. Even if it meant risking dying in the process, he needed to find his faith again. Then he would be able to go back and prove his friends that he was ready to make up for his past mistakes. But until that moment the only thing he could do was trying to stay alive and hope that his essence wouldn’t be consumed too quickly by the void that was swallowing him from the inside.

Crowley didn’t talk back immediately, but instead he studied the angel attentively for some moments. He had noticed how the other’s eyes had darkened as he lost himself in his thoughts. There was something important he was missing and Castiel didn’t seem inclined to explain any time soon. He knew he could push, he had the power to do so if he asked for a straight answer as part of their deal. But it would have spoilt his fun and tormenting that particular angel had always been quite entertaining. “Oh, look who’s talking. I’m not the most honest being in the world, well actually I’m seldom sincere, but at least I didn’t play and betray my dear _friends_ ,” he spoke in the end. “And you should try me. I’m not like the other demons. I can understand a lot of things, no matter how far they are from my nature. If someone in Hell can see whatever is happening to you, that’s me.”

“Lucifer would have understood it without needing to ask,” Castiel claimed, his tone getting a bit harsher. He had no intention to shame himself in front of a demon, especially that particular one. His situation was already bad enough. He wouldn’t have stood to be mocked about such an important matter. He knew well that the other could try to force him to talk, but if he had understood something of that unusual hellish creature he wouldn’t until he got fed up with their games.

“Touché, angel boyCrowley conceded, raising his hands. “Must be something totally heavenly then. I could try to ask your lovely sister, but she refuses to acknowledge me after our last encounter. You angels have such a bad temperament! Is there any of you who’s not an asshole? I mean, shouldn’t you be the ones full of love and mercy?” He smirked, resuming his pacing. “Anyway, I see that you aren’t in the mood for a nice chat. Maybe we’ll return on the subject later. Now, down to business.” He clapped his hands and his grin widened as he saw the frown on the angel’s face deepening. “Don’t make that face. It’s not something you’ll disapprove. On the contrary, it could make you somehow _pleased_.”

“Pardon me if I don’t believe you,” Castiel stated quietly in a flat tone, but his eyes were now constantly fixed on his speaker. “I don’t see how acting as a minion of the King of Hell can please me.”

“Give me some credit, my dear. You won’t be disappointed. Besides, I’m letting you live. That should be enough to make you happy,” the demon talked back, taking a sip of his wine and savouring it. “Now. You should know that I’m still dealing with what has remained of Lucifer’s followers.” He waited for a nod of confirmation before going on. “And, from our previous partnership, you should also know some names. Well, there’s one in particular who’s becoming a real nuisance and my ordinary minions seem unable to catch her. Also thanks to the little show you put on to rescue one of your new human pets. But now I’m giving you the chance to make it up to me. I want you to bring me the demon you call Meg.”

The angel titled his head. He hadn’t expected a similar request. He had thought that Crowley would have exploited his position of power to make him do something humiliating or that he would have been reluctant to do. There had to be a trick somewhere. “And why do you think that I’ll succeed where your demons have failed?” He asked suspicious.

“Because she seems inclined to think that you’ll make a good ally for her. Personally, I don’t see why. Maybe she sees a new Lucifer in you. Going against Heaven and its rules all the time, holding a grudge against your Father. Or perhaps she just likes you. Who knows.” The Devil shrugged. “I don’t care about her reasons. What matters is that she does and so she’ll do anything in her power to convince you to join her. She’ll surely come to you if she senses that you’re having troubles with my minions. Let her help you, distract her enough to make her lower her guard and then capture her. Do this for me and you’ll be free to go back doing whatever you were doing.” His eyes flashed red and his tone became soothing. “It’s an easy choice. You or her. And I don’t even need to kiss you, we’ll make this informal. Besides, I don’t wish to have your lovely hunter to hunt me down because, after his stepfather, I’ve kissed his angel. What do you say?”

Castiel quickly considered his options. What the King of Hell was asking from him was acceptable. Meg had always been a problem, especially for the Winchesters, and not to have to worry about her anymore would be an advantage. However, he was reluctant to believe that it could be so easy. Why was the other letting him go after what had happened between them? Could it be that he no longer saw him as a threat? It was possible. After all he was on his own, almost powerless and dying. He could guess that Crowley was more concerned about Raphael and maybe the Leviathans. He flexed his fingers a little. Whatever reason the demon had to act in that way, one thing was sure: he couldn’t afford to refuse the way out he had been offered.

“I’ll do what you ask,” he answered with force after a few moments of silence. He was playing with fire, but he couldn’t help it. He knew how cruel Crowley could be and he surely had in mind to make an example for all his opponents out of Meg, which would mean never-ending suffering for her. They were enemies, but he didn’t wish that fate for her. “But at one condition.”

His speaker looked at him, half irritated and half amused. What was the angel thinking now? The fact that he had been civil didn’t mean that he was willing to discuss the terms of the pact. Castiel never learnt his lesson apparently. The little soldier was a stubborn rebel by heart. He never allowed anyone to tell him what to do. Not completely at least. Usually that feature annoyed him to no end, but with the angel was different. It was almost fascinating. “And what makes you think that you have a say in our deal? I thought that your situation was pretty clear, angel.”

“Give me some credit, Crowley. I’m sure you’ll find it pleasing,” Castiel answered, using the same words that the demon had spoken to him earlier. The choice earned him another smirk and a wave of hand that invited him to keep going. “I don’t know what kind of plans do you have for the demon Meg, but I ask you to end her without giving her a way out. You can torture her… _Enjoy_ yourself as much as you want. I don’t care. But I want your word that she will never taste life again once you are done.”

Crowley gave him a long stare, looking almost impressed. Apparently the angel liked the bitch less than he had thought. That made everything easier. He felt a pang of curiosity. He’d like to know why he disliked her so much. If he could have hazarded a guess, he would have said that it was about the Winchesters. Many things were about them when it came to Castiel’s motivations. Or maybe his reasons were completely different and he wasn’t acting out of despise. Not that he was complaining. Not this time at least. “That was exactly my intention,” he said never stopping grinning. “I told you that you would have liked your task. Now, since I loved your harsh tone…” He waved his hand and the fire around the angel was out by a strong gust of wind. “Why don’t you join me in the living room so we can discuss the matter somewhere comfortable? And you still have to tell me why you look so bad.”

The angel closed his eyes for a moment, before stepping out of the circle. There they were once again. The King of Hell wasn’t going to let the issue go. He could have been able to force him to stay until he hadn’t got an answer, even after their deal had been fulfilled. He couldn’t allow that. His time was running short, he couldn’t waste it fighting with a demon just to protect his pride. “I’m dying,” he confessed after a moment, his voice surprisingly firm and emotionless. “What is left of my Grace is keeping me alive, but it won’t last for long.”

The demon, who had started to walk towards the door, stopped on the threshold and turned around to look at him. He hadn’t been expecting such a straightforwardness. And he had to admit to himself that he was surprised by the answer as well. “Why? I thought that you guys just lost your pretty wings and joined the ranks of humanity,” he pointed out, a bit taken aback. “I’ve seen it happening a couple of times.”

“That’s what happens normally. My situation is…unusual,” Castiel explained, being very careful with the choice of his words. “Losing my Grace is just a consequence. I’m cut off from the Host, but I could solve the problem, at least temporarily, as you have pointed out. I have other ways to recharge my powers. However, it would not be sufficient. It would give me maybe two or three weeks. What I lost can’t be replaced just by touching a soul. Not even returning to Heaven would solve the problem.”

The King of Hell watched him carefully, curiosity and interest sparkling in his eyes. That was real news. He knew that angels could be banished, wounded, killed, that they could fall and become humans, but he had never heard of an angel who had died of “natural causes”, if they could be called like that. It meant that there was still a lot that he didn’t know about his eternal opponents, and maybe it was something that he could use against them. “What is it that you’ve lost?” He questioned, almost eagerly. “What can be so precious for you?”

Castiel remained quiet for a brief while, holding his former ally’s gaze, expressionless. He could almost see the demon’s mind working, plotting and scheming with precision, waiting for him to supply him with more data. For a moment, he considered lying, or simply refusing to answer, but it wouldn’t make sense. It wasn’t something that his speaker could use against his kind, it was just about him and the very few ones who had found themselves in that situation before him. Besides, the ache in his shoulder was making his whole arm numb and he just wanted to get out of that room that stank of burnt oil.

“My faith,” he answered simply in the end. Then, he added, catching the confused surprise on the other’s face: “I told you that you would not understand. Trivialising, you could say that angels are made to believe. When they no longer do, then there isn’t a reason left for them to keep on existing. So they die.”

It was the Devil’s turn to be silent for a while, then he shrugged and turned around. “Allow me to be vulgar. It _sucks_. Well, like most of your angelic issues. There are rules and limitations everywhere for you. And if you don’t play nice you lose your powers and, apparently, your lives,” he commented, gesturing his forced guest to walk with him. “And you, angel boy, seem to enjoy breaking them in spite of the price.” He shot Castiel an amused look. “Accept a friendly advice from someone who knows very well how to play the rules: try to be a little more selfish. You might discover new, incredible advantages while at it.”

The angel shook his head. He looked defeated. “I have arrived to this point mostly because I have been selfish.”

The demon rolled his eyes, half incredulous and half cruelly amused. “Then the whole thing sucks even more than I have ever thought.”

They silently walked their way to the living room. Crowley showed Castiel an armchair and then took place in front of him, refilling his glass of wine and offering another to the angel, who took it almost reluctantly as he sat down in turn. He let a small smirk play on his face as he watched his former ally sniffing the liquid sceptically and taking the first sip. He wouldn’t be surprised if he had been told that he had never tasted it.

Castiel noticed his amusement and turned his attention from the expensive glass to his host. “How do I catch Meg’s attention?” He asked quietly, his piercing blue eyes shining in the dim light. “You have a plan, don’t you?”

The demon’s grin widened in satisfaction. He crossed his legs and intertwined his fingers before his face. “Of course I have, darling,” he sang, his irises flashing red as they met the other’s. “Just be patient and listen carefully…”


	17. XVII.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

Charlie rested her head against the cold widow, distractively watching the landscape running before her eyes. A bag with some clean clothes and her laptop was set on the seat next to her. She hadn’t even taken the time to eat before leaving. Once reached her apartment, she had just packed the first things she had found in her wardrobe and had jumped on a bus, heading towards the train station. Not that she was in the mood for eating, not after what she had witnessed in Roman’s office. Her stomach still clutched painfully at the memory, so food was the last thing in her mind in that moment.

The train was quite slow and would made several stops, so the trip would have taken her almost all the night. She had tried to call Gabriel at least ten times as soon as she had found a seat in an empty carriage, but in vain. The phone seemed to be always off and she hadn’t received an answer to any of the messages she had sent. In the end she had given up and, since the archangel didn’t seem inclined to come and give her a lift to wherever the Winchesters were any time soon, she had spent the first part of the trip elaborating the quickest itinerary to get to Bobby Singer’s house. It would have required her to change a lot of means of transports, but it was the best option. She had no intention of hitching a ride and risking to run into another monster, no matter how unlikely it was. She was starting to understand why the Frank guy was so paranoid and why Sam and Dean slept with a knife in hand. Once you had discovered what was hiding in the shadows, you could never forget that no place was really safe.

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Maybe she should try to catch some sleep. Time would pass faster that way and she had already set an alarm around the time when the train should arrive to her first stop. She needed to give her mind the time to process the sudden turn of the events. Sleeping had worked after Crowley had showed up in her apartment for the first time, so there was a fair share of chances that it would help her to digest the nightmarish vision of the doctor eating himself and the plot she had been an unwilling and unaware part of. She snorted at that thought. Damned demon. She wouldn’t go easy with him when he showed up. Because she was sure that he would, sooner or later. She didn’t give a fuck about the fact that he was the Ruler of Hell. For her, she was just a big asshole and a damned bitch. And that was what she was going to tell him in the face.

She shook her head tiredly and leant back against her seat. The truth was that, now that the first wave of rage had disappeared, she felt mostly disappointed. Crowley was a bastard, he had made it clear from the very start, but she was starting to like him. His sarcasm and smart sense of humour weren’t bad once you had got used to them. Moreover, he had good tastes in alcoholic drinks and places, and he could be a good company when he wasn’t being a complete jackass. She had enjoyed their little elope to Moscow. Had he been a woman, she would have gladly said yes to his playful attempts to seduce her without thinking twice about it. And if he hadn’t been the new Devil, or a demon, they would have immediately become friends. Actually, she had been thinking about considering him a friend even if he was the King of Hell. But of course, she had been fooled. She couldn’t even say that she was really surprised after all.

A quiet coughing interrupted her train of thoughts. She shot up, seating straight once again. She had been slowly sliding in a more relaxed position as she started to doze off. She blinked and stared at the man seated right in front of her. She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Speaking of the Devil. Literally.

“May I inquire where are you going, Charlene?” Crowley asked, crossing his legs. His tone was polite and almost soft, but his eyes where glowing with a dangerous red light. “I’ve been quite puzzled when I realised that you were on this train instead of being in your apartment working on Dick’s hard disk. Should I assume that you’ve already hacked it?”

Charlie bit her lower lip. Plain first name. Bad sign. He hadn’t used it since their first meeting. “First of all, where I’m going it’s none of your business. But, if you want, I can gladly tell you where _you_ should be going,” she answered, sounding firmer than she felt and letting her hostility fill her tone. “Secondly, yes. I’m done with that damned hard disk as I’m done with Roman and his freaking Leviathan fellows.”

The demon opened his mouth to say something, but she didn’t let him and went on ranting. In that moment she couldn’t care less of what he had to say. “I’ve been scarred for a lifetime by the sight of one of them eating _himself_ in front of a very satisfied Dick. That’s enough. I’ve erased everything on the hard disk that could be useful to them and I left. Wanna know what I find about them in there? They’re behind quite a number of mysterious deaths. They’re stealing organs from the hospitals morgues. And all this for _food_. It seems to me that everything they do is about food. Meaning, in this case, fresh, possibly healthy human meat. Oh, and they’re taking the place of people in tactical position both in the business and the in political sphere. I bet this is also about food! Maybe they’re planning to breed us to get the perfect kind of meat! Sounds a lot like fucking fake Dick Roman, doesn’t it?”

She was forced to take a deep breath because she realised that she had just kept on talking without breathing. She knew that she should stop before she said something she would regret, but she couldn’t. The words were escaping from her lips freely and without her permission. “Now, you’ve got your information, which means that my job is done. _I’m_ done. Oh-so-totally done. And you can go fuck yourself for what I care! But I’ll tell you one thing.” She pointed her index to the demon’s chest. “I’m not letting you help your human-eating fellow monsters to destroy my kind! You can go and make a deal with them, but I won’t just stand and watch until they turn me in a steak. I’m not one of your puppets, I told you before, even if you bitch have tricked me into be one. One day I’ll send you back to Hell. Permanently. And that’s a promise!”

Crowley stared at her for a whole minute, too taken aback by her sudden explosion to speak. In front of him the woman was panting a bit, but her eyes never left his, not even for a moment. She was challenging him, stubborn and hostile as he had never seen her. It took him some seconds to elaborate the information he had just gain, and he mentally took note of what she had said about the Leviathans. Breeding humans? It really sounded like something they would do. It was worth a bit of investigation. But he would deal with it later. Now he had a more urgent problem. Charlie seemed to have figured out his little plot. And she hadn’t liked it. He shouldn’t be surprised, he knew that it could have happened when he had turned to her. However, he had thought that he would have been able to keep her busy enough for her not to notice until he was done with her. But apparently he had underestimated her. And now not only he had lost a precious ally, but he had gained a new opponent. And if he was right about what she meant with the fact that she wasn’t just standing and watching, it could only mean more troubles.

“Now, now, my dear. There’s no need to be so crossed. I’m the _Devil_ , you should have been expecting me not to be totally sincere with you. You were the first to say that you can’t trust me, weren’t you?” He pointed out calmly, but his gaze was hard and threatening. “You understand that I can’t just let you go now. Not if you’re so determined to go and have a nice chat with the Winchesters about this whole affair.”

“And so, what are you going to do? Imprison me? Or kill me?” Charlie talked back, defiantly. The prospect was scaring, but she tried her best not to show herself weak. She had no intention to let him win over her so easily. No matter how powerless she was against him, she would have stood up for her life or, at least, for her pride. She reached out for her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. “Come on, get on with it! But this time I won’t miss!”

Crowley lifted an eyebrow, puzzled. “Holy water? Really? You know that stuff has little effect on me, don’t you?”

She snorted. “Of course I do! I did my homework,” she stated, holding the bottle between the two of them. She was bluffing shamelessly. She had never thought about getting some holy water and the one in the bottle came from the tap of her kitchen. However, it had given her the chance to enjoy her speaker’s almost shocked face. “But it will burn you a bit. Let’s call it a friendly reminder than I’m not surrendering willingly.”

The demon rolled his eyes. “I’m regretting the moment when I sent you to meet those brothers and the Trickster. They had a horrible influence on you,” he commented mockingly and a bit irritated. “Put that thing away. I’m not here to kill you. And imprisoning you would give me more troubles than advantages. So you don’t need it. I just wanted to try to dissuade you to do something annoying and absolutely useless. Or do you really think that a couple of humans and a poor excuse of an archangel can stop Roman and his subordinates? You’re a fool if you do. They’ve already won. The best thing someone with a bit of common sense can do is trying to earn himself a nice corner to mind his own business.”

The woman lowered the bottle but kept it in her hands. It made feel her safer. “As you’re trying to do?” She questioned feeling a little bit bolder now that the other had stated that he had no intention to hurt her. She just hoped that he wasn’t lying. “Perhaps you’re right, perhaps the Leviathans are far too strong, but at least the boys have the guts to try and put up a fight. You think that you’re the smart one, but in my opinion you’re just a _coward_. The truth is that dear Dick scares you shitless and so you’re ready to give him everything in exchange for having you sorry ass covered and some crumbles of power for yourself! Well, let me tell you another thing: Dick will kick your ass as soon as he decides that you’re no longer useful. After all, he’s much more powerful than you, so why should he accept your collaboration? Wait and see. You’ll be his one-night stand bitch!”

The Devil’s eyes flashed red with rage at the insults. “I don’t pretend that a low creature like you understands the finesse of my politics,” he said, his voice icy-cold. That girl was getting too impertinent for his liking. “But you should not forget who you’re talking too. Just because I said I’m not going to kill you, it doesn’t mean that I won’t find the most unpleasant ways to make you regret every word you speak. So you’ve better watch your mouth, girl.”

Charlie shivered at his threatening tone, but refused to step back. “I know very well who I’m talking to. A demon who plays the part of Lucifer. Quite poorly I would say, or you wouldn’t have the need to keep your reputation safe. I bet that the real Devil could do whatever he wanted and no one dared even to think a word of protest,” she talked back, feeling a pang of satisfaction as she saw him wincing a bit at her words. “Now, you have three choices. You stay here and I go on insulting you, you take me wherever you need to torture me for my insolence or you just leave me be. The third one would be the best, if you ask me. I can’t stand to see your damned poker face anymore. Before I found it almost entertaining, but apparently there’s really nothing behind it. You’re just an empty shape made of plots, deceits and masks. And that’s quite boring.” She lowered her voice, her tone losing a bit of its harshness. “I really thought you were something more. But I was wrong.”

The King of Hell was left speechless once again. He had felt his irritation grew stronger as she had mocked him by comparing him to his predecessor, and it had stung so much because she was speaking the truth. The demons worshipped Lucifer as a god, following his every word blindly, while he had to threaten and kill to maintain his power on them. However, his anger had faded as he had heard her last phrases. Even the offence of being called boring had been forgotten for a moment. Charlene looked sincerely hurt, even if she was doing a great job at hiding it. They had known each other for a brief period of time, but the human had almost immediately offered him her companionship, together with her sharpness and her straightforwardness. Maybe she had already started to see him as more than a business partner.

He frowned a bit. Demons usually didn’t make friends, especially not with humans. However, he had seen bonds blooming and flourishing among them. They were not so immune to feelings as they tried to seem. They simply dealt with their emotions in a different way. He himself had developed some kind of attachment to specific individuals. And, unluckily, Charlie was his newest addition to that list. He liked her because she was sharp, _brilliant_ and bold enough to talk back. It was remarkable considering that she wasn’t a hunter and had no idea of how to fight. He hadn’t expected it to happen when he had decided to use her, but he surely couldn’t give up his plans just because she was interesting. The things between them had been fated to degenerate. What a pity, because he still thought that she could have made a nice second-in-command.

“Fine, Charlie. I’m leaving you be. But I warn you: when your little friends will be killed, Roman will go after you. And I won’t lift a finger to help you,” he stated matter-of-factly, his tone carrying a cruel note. “If you try to mention our deal, I’ll personally come and kill you in the most painful way you can imagine.”

“I can keep my word and be an honest partner, unlike someone else,” she spat out in response, then she turned her head away from him. “Now fuck off. I want to sleep.”

Crowley considered offering a smart retort, but he realised that he couldn’t find something suitable. So he simply snorted, shaking his head, and said: “Goodbye, Charlene. I hope you won’t get too hurt when your stupid hopes will be crashed by Dick.” And with that he was gone.

The woman let out a growl and her composure broke as soon as she was alone. She kicked the seat where the demon had been just a moment before. “Fucking fuck you, bitch!” She exclaimed aloud, her voice full of frustration.

She wasn’t sure of how she had made it out alive after all she had dared to say. Apparently Crowley valued her more than she had thought. And it made the whole affair sting even more. The creature held some kind of sympathy for her in spite of everything, and yet he had played her with no hesitation even considering that. But it was so natural. He was a demon, he didn’t need any kind of personal bond. Everyone was expendable for him. She, on the contrary, was only human and she had the tendency to be sociable and to value a lot the people she found worth of her interest. They would never have the same consideration for each other. That was why she should have kept strictly professional in the first place. Apparently she really was a fool, not for believing that they could win an impossible war, but for trusting a demon to be something better than most of his kind.

She sighed and leant against her seat back once again. She had better stop thinking and sleep. She was too tired for that. And, besides, she had more important matters to deal with. Crowley wasn’t worth her grudge and energy. The Leviathans were her priority now, not him. She would deal with him later. After all she had been serious when she had told him that she would hunt him down. She still didn’t know how, but she would. There was no doubt about that.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

As he switched off the engine and stepped out of the car, Bobby instantly knew that his concerns had been grounded. The road was deadly silent and deserted, apart from the van parked on one side of it. Most of the streetlights were off despite the late hour and a background buzzing noise filled the air. The hunter looked around carefully, gripping at his shotgun, all ears and eyes scanning the dark, but he seemed to be the only moving presence in the desolate landscape.

When Frank had stopped answering his messages he had instantly knew that something was wrong. He had abandoned his researches, exploiting the fact that the boys were on the road hunting the Leviathan that his friend had located for them, and had gone through his other contacts to see if someone had any kind of news about the man, but in vain. Frank was a damned paranoiac and never left evident tracks of his passage. So, he had decided to go and look for him.

It had taken him almost twenty-four hours to track down his location, but he had managed it in the end. Then he had packed his truck with every type of weapon he could think of and had left, heading for the other side of the country. The trip had been relatively quiet and he hadn’t met any problem or nuisance, apart from Dean’s call in the morning. It had been a while since the last time he had heard the boy being so pissed off, and telling him that Frank had disappeared had made the things even worse. He had tried to be patient at first, but he had given up quite soon and had just sent him to hell, warning him not to call back unless they needed a hand with their new case. Reasoning with an upset Winchester was a waste of breath, he had learnt it back when John was still around.

The old hunter went around the vehicle, trying to keep his steps as light as possible. He checked the driver’s sit as first thing, using his flashlight to lit up the cab. The few present objects seemed to be all in their place and there were no odd stains. Frank had always been a very tidy person, bordering on OCD, afraid as he was to lose his personal effects or that someone could look through his things. Apparently all that care hadn’t been enough.

Bobby scanned the cab one more time quickly, just in case he had missed something and then he headed towards the back door of the van. He found it opened and he couldn’t hold back a deep sigh as he looked inside. Everything was a mess. There were papers and pieces of glass spread all over the floor and many computer screens were broken. His friend’s chair had been knocked over and now laid forgotten in a corner. There were stains of dry blood on one of the keyboards and all over the floor. It was impossible to say if something was missing, but he had no doubt that, if the Leviathans were responsible for that chaos, Frank wasn’t the only thing that had been taken away. If they had come for him, it meant that they knew that he had investigated and surely they wanted to know how much he had found out.

“Damn,” he cursed quietly, stepping inside and looking around. “I don’t even want to think about what those bastards have done to you, Frank.” He ran a hand over his face. “How did they find you? I’ve always thought that no one could find you if you didn’t want to be found. Especially some monster that shouldn’t even know about your existence.”

“The creatures you’re talking about have lived for thousands years. They are much smarter and more dangerous than you can imagine,” a voice claimed from behind him, making him start. “And you could say they have…unexpected resources.”

The hunter turned around quickly, removing the trigger guard and pointing the shotgun at the newcomer. Crowley held his arms up staring at him from the entrance of the van, a smirk slowly opening on his lips, showing himself to be everything but impressed. Bobby rolled his eyes, relaxing a bit as he recognised him, but didn’t lower the weapon. Bullets were useless against demons, but the gun he was holding should be powerful enough to knock his opponent on the ground in the case he tried something.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He questioned the demon in a harsh tone. “I have no idea of where Castiel is, if this is what you want to know. He wondered off by himself after your last encounter. So, don’t waste your time with me and piss off. I’m busy.”

“Hello, Robert. I’m glad to see you too,” the King of Hell answered in a mocking tone, sinking his hands deep in his pockets. “I’m not looking for my little angel boy actually. He’s no longer my priority. For now, at least. I came here to check the place. And I was hoping to find one of my favourite pets here. I didn’t doubt that you’d have noticed the disappearance of your informer, sooner or later.”

The hunter’s hold on the shotgun tightened. “It was you, wasn’t it? You told those bastards where to find Frank. You are their “unexpected resource”, as you called it,” he spoke, narrowing his eyes and grinding his teeth with rage. “For what purpose? What are you planning this time, you hellish scrap? You must be after some sort of personal benefit.”

“How _nasty_. Your words wound me, Robert,” Crowley exclaimed, faking offence, but his grin almost never left his lips. “I had no personal grudge against your friend. It’s just business, really. The Leviathans don’t even know that it was _me_. Not yet, at least. I just spread a rumour and made sure that it reached them. I’m not your enemy at the moment. So, please, why don’t you put down the gun and we can have a nice civil chat?”

Bobby snorted. “I don’t think I’m in the mood for chatting with _you_. But we can do this: I knock you out and trap you somewhere underground, so you won’t bother us for a while. And I’ll ask the revived Trickster to take care of you once the boys are back,” he offered in a harsh tone. “How does that sounds to you?”

The demon’s smirk widened. “I’d really like to spend some time locked away with you, darling, but unfortunately my businesses won’t run themselves while I’m gone. So, I’m forced to refuse. Maybe next time.” He turned his back to the human, taking some steps away from the van, not worried at all by the threat of the weapon aimed on him. “Besides, I’d rather not see your boys for a while. Even if I wasn’t the one who made the greater mess, I’m inclined to believe that they are still pissed with me for the whole Purgatory thing.”

“I’m pissed too, just in case you hadn’t noticed,” the hunter pointed out, waving the gun a little as to remind his speaker. “We aren’t exactly seated in a bar drinking whiskey. I’m still of the idea that locking you up and taking a little revenge on you for all you have put us through is the best option I have.”

“Oh, go on then! Suit yourself! I’d really like to see you trying!” Crowley mocked in a cruel tone, turning to glare at his speaker. “I’m much stronger than you and you don’t even have a weapon that can really hurt me. You weren’t surely expecting to meet a demon here, so I doubt that you have holy water or salt or whatever you hunters use to save your sorry lives. Not that those useless things would do to me much more than your little gun there.” He waved a hand towards the weapon. “You’re harmless in this moment, while I could easily restrain you and snapped your bones one by one. I’m the Ruler of Hell and there’s a reason for that. You and your idiot boys should get it tattooed inside that thick skull of yours since you seem to forget it all the time.”

The man held his gaze without any hesitation, looking completely unimpressed by the threats he had just received. “This is your idea of, your words, “a nice, civil chat”? I think we have different opinions on the meaning of that sentence,” he commented sarcastically. “And you should calm down, _your_ _Highness_. Being this snappy it’s not exactly a kind of behaviour that suits the Devil.”

The demon glared at him, his irises turning slowly red. “What’s with all you, uh? Since when you all became fans of Lucifer?” He asked with hostility, crossing his arms. “Why are you always comparing me to him?”

“What? I wasn’t comparing anyone. Should I remind you that it was me and the boys who stopped Lucifer, while you were curled up in some hole? Or what he did to Sam?” The hunter snapped, feeling his patience running out. The demon was being even more annoying than his usual and he seemed to take as a real offence every word he said. In a word, he was being incredibly _sulky_. If a demon could be described that way. “I’m definitely not a fan of his. On the contrary, I’m very happy to know that he is locked away for the rest of eternity!”

“So I’m a _coward_ now?” The Devil talked back, ignoring the exasperated look the human gave him. “You shouldn’t judge someone by his actions if you don’t understand what’s behind them. You humans are so _limited_ , I’m not expecting you to see through my plans. But, my dear, you should remember that, if it wasn’t for me, you would still be in that wheelchair.”

The hunter ran his free hand on his face. “Can you tell me what the hell is wrong with you?” He asked, with a sigh. “You’re being even more lunatic than you usually are. Shouldn’t you sons of a bitch being unable to act as moody teenagers? I’ve always thought that emotions were something that didn’t concern you bastards.”

Crowley kept quiet for a moment and then resumed his pacing, without looking up at him, his expression turning pensive. “And I thought that, after spending so many years as a hunter, you had understood that the whole “demons don’t have feelings” thing is just crap,” he talked back more quietly. “The fact that we aren’t big cry-babies as you humans doesn’t mean that we’re totally insensitive. Well, some of us are, but those are just brainless idiots who can’t formulate a thought worth of that name.”

The frown on Bobby’s face deepened. He couldn’t see what his speaker was trying to tell him and the truth was that both his words and his behaviour were puzzling him. The demon now seemed almost troubled. _Almost_. There was still a bit of his mocking attitude in his voice, but was bitterer and there was something else in his gestures, something that looked awfully like nervousness. “I could heartily disagree with almost each word you have spoken, but I’d rather have you answer a question instead. Why the heck are you telling me this?”

The King of Hell shot him a look he couldn’t interpret, but when he spoke his voice was filled with pure irritation. “I might have made someone very, very pissed off with me,” he said cryptically.

“And how is this news?” The human asked, sounding more and more perplexed. He stepped out of the vehicle in turn and leant against it, his eyes attentively watching the creature’s movements. The Devil had claimed more than once that he wasn’t there to fight him, but he had never trusted a hellish creature and surely he wasn’t going to start in that moment.

Crowley allowed himself a small, amused smirk before answering. If he hadn’t been one of the main characters involved, he would have found their little act delightful. He liked teasing the man, his reactions were always so entertaining, as it was seeing him hanging off his words against his will. “The fact itself it’s no news,” he spoke in the end, finally stopping his pacing and turning to face his speaker. “The novelty is that…I don’t exactly know what I should do about it. The individual concerned is…a _particular_ kind of idiot.”

Bobby stared at him, caught off guard by the admission. He had to have got it wrong. Or, more likely, the demon was making fun of him out of boredom. He kept watching the other, waiting for him to add something that made him understand that he was being mocked, but the Devil kept silent, waiting for his reaction. He blinked, incredulous. “ _What_?” He let out in the end. “You are serious about this, aren’t you?”

Crowley rolled his eyes in irritation. “Oh, of course I’m not. I’m just having fun _humiliating_ myself in front of a damned hunter!” He said, his voice dripping sarcasm. “Don’t be dumb as your older stepson, please. I know you’re better than that.”

“Well, excuse me if I’m surprised that the fucking King of Hell comes to me asking for advices on a, how should I call it?, social issue! I think I’m allowed to believe that you’re speaking bullshit and trying to play me!” The hunter pointed out, opening his arms and sounding as annoyed as the creature. “I’m not exactly a shrink for demons, for the record. Quite the opposite.”

The Devil snorted and shook his head, but said nothing. He himself didn’t really know what he was doing there in the first place. After his discussion with Charlie, he should have gone back to his house and made sure that Meg would be found as soon as possible. He should be keeping an eye on his unwilling angelic guest instead of standing in the middle of nowhere, talking about something that shouldn’t even bother him. And yet he was still thinking about the fight. The woman’s words for themselves hadn’t really touched him. He had been called much worse during the centuries, and yet the fact that she had been the one to tell him those things had made the insults sunk deeper than they should have.

He had also been left him stunned by her behaviour. She had completed her task, giving him the information he wanted even if they were now enemies, and she had stated clearly that she wasn’t going to betray him in the case the Leviathans had captured her. She had shown him a kind of loyalty none of his minions had ever offered to him. They obeyed him because they were scared of him or because he had enough power over them to be able to control them. No one had ever followed him because they believed in him, as Lucifer’s followers did. He didn’t ask to be treated as a god as his predecessor was, but he would have liked a bit of respect at least. Receiving it in such a natural way had unsettled him. It brought back an unnamed feeling that was alien and familiar at the same time. He should stop Charlie before she tried to ruin his plans with the Leviathans, but at the same time he couldn’t because she had served him well enough to deserve a reward. The fact that she wasn’t a real threat had made him more inclined to just let her go. However, he was aware that the issue was all but solved.

“So?” Bobby asked, bringing him back to reality.

“So what?” Crowley questioned back, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t want to play the role of the psychologist. Not that I’d want you to do it.”

“And I thank God for that!” The hunter exclaimed, finally deciding to lower his gun. He rested it on the van floor and crossed his arms. “You said you’re having problems with an idjit. Most of the people I know are idjits, you included, so I have a fair share of experience when it comes to dealing with them.”

Suspicion blossomed on Crowley’s face. “Are _you_ offering _me_ an advice?”

“Of course I’m not. Who do you think I am? A good Samaritan?” The man snorted shaking his head. “Let’s say we make an exchange. I listen to your crap about this fellow of yours and you tell me something useful about those sons of a bitch that idjit of an angel has unleashed on Earth.”

The King of Hell smirked widely, his amusement returning all of a sudden. “Oh, do you want to make another deal, _honey_?” He sang, sounding almost delighted. “I knew you liked me under this endless show of despise!”

“Wait a moment! I’ve never talked about a demonic deal. I don’t want you anywhere near my soul. And sure as Hell, I’m not kissing you again, you poor excuse of a demon!” Bobby protested putting his hands forward. “Don’t even dare to think about that. Or, I swear, I’m summoning Gabriel here and now.”

The demon sighed theatrically. “Oh, what a pity. It would have been a nice occasion to relive the old times,” he commented looking disappointed, but he couldn’t hide his smirk. Then he turned a bit more serious. “I guess you want my bit first. Actually, I should be refusing since I don’t like people poking about my business, but I’ll make an exception for you, Robert.” He scratched his chin lightly for a moment, carefully looking for some information that could be considered valuable but not too much. “I’m giving you a name. Richard Roman, chairman of the RRE. Look into him, I’m sure you’ll find that he is an interesting… _guy_.”

“I guess he’s not exactly human,” the hunter said, receiving a small shrug as an answer. “And also that you aren’t going to tell me _why_ he is so interesting.”

“I’d never ruin your fun like that. I’m not so cruel!” The Devil mocked him, stepping a bit closer. “Besides, unluckily for me, you’ll soon know much more than I’d want you to.”

It was Bobby’s turn to look at him suspiciously. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll find out,” the answer was and the demon’s tone was firm enough to make him understand that that part of the conversation was over. “Now, it’s your turn.”

“Well, I’m liste…” the man started to say, but before he could finish the sentence Crowley grabbed his arm and he found himself staring at his desk. “What the hell…?” He let out, taken aback. “How did you overcome all the wards I placed?! And what about my car?”

“Oh, I spent some time studying your house, Robert. I must occupy my coffee breaks somehow,” the creature answered, walking towards the bottle of scotch that was set on one of the shelves. “You’ll get your vehicle back, don’t worry about that. Now, can I have two glasses?”

“You aren’t drinking my best bottle of scotch again, you creepy stalker,” the hunter said, but he grabbed two glasses from a drawer. “And I’m definitely not letting the Ruler of Hell wander around my house as if he was an old friend.”

“Today I am here as an old friend. So relax.” Crowley took poured his own drink and leant against the desk. “I just thought that your house could be a better setting for our little chat. After all the children are spending the night out, so we have all the time of the world.”

“I’ll relax as soon as you stop with your bloody flirting,” Bobby mumbled rolling his eyes and going to sit down in the armchair closest to the desk. “And I’ll be grateful if this doesn’t take all night. As I said, I’m busy. Now talk.”

“Stay tense then, darling, ‘cause I’m not stopping,” the King of Hell stated, sipping his scotch, clearly amused by his forced host’s irritation. “But since you are asking me so nicely, I’ll tell you what my problem is.” He glance at his speaker for a moment, before going back to look in front of him. “I’ve been having a new business partner after the mess with the angels. A partner who obviously isn’t from Heaven, but who isn’t a demon either.”

The hunter raised an eyebrow, sceptical. “You telling me that you’ve been working with a human? Who can be so foolish to accept to work with you?”

“A quite pretty, smart girl actually. And when I say smart I mean brilliant,” he answered with a small grin. “She’s an interesting human, a peculiar one. But this doesn’t concern you. To sum it up, everything was going almost exactly as I wanted it to go until she found out that I’ve been manipulating her since before I went to talk to her. She hasn’t liked the news and…she hasn’t liked the information I wanted her to gather for me. We had a pretty heated discussion and she sent me to Hell. Metaphorically speaking, of course.”

“You’re the idjit here, not her, if you want my opinion,” the hunter claimed, playing with his own glass. He was still having a hard time to believe that the whole situation was actually happening. It wasn’t the first time he had a civil conversation with a demon, but surely it had never happened to him to drink and discuss personal matters with the said creature.

“I agree. I am an idiot, but not for the reasons you think. I am because I let her go instead of capturing her. Or killing her, which is what anyone in my position would have done,” the demon grumbled, looking down at his drink resentfully. “Instead, I just let her insult me and then I left her alone and free to come between me and my affairs. And that just because she has been willingly loyal and honest while working with me, even after finding out about my plans.”

“So you let her go because you like her. And she liked you too, in spite of everything.” The man took a sip of scotch and rested a hand on the armrest. Somewhere in his head he knew that he should have been more shocked by what he was hearing, but he really wasn’t for some odd reason. “Yeah, you really are an idjit.”

“That helped a lot, really. Thank you for your wisdom,” the demon shot back sarcastically.

“Don’t complain. I was just trying not to tell you clear and straight that you’ve just lost one of the best partners you’ll ever find in your sorry life in Hell,” Bobby spat out, but his tone remained uncharacteristically calm. “But, since you wanted to hear it, well, suit yourself.”

The King of Hell snorted, incredulous. “And what I was supposed to do? Give up my plans for a mere human? You’re the idiot now. I’m a demon. I do what’s best for myself.”

The human shrugged, not reacting to the provocation. “Once again, suit yourself. Go after your plans, but, if this girl is as smart as you said, she must have her good reasons not to agree with your current plan. I’d think about that, if I were ya.” He finished what was left of his scotch in one gulp. “Can I have my car back now?”

Crowley nodded, but remained silent. The man could be right, at least partially. Charlie knew almost nothing about demons and monster, and even less about Leviathans, but she had a special sixth sense and a peculiar intelligence, the same that had caught Roman’s attention. She had figured out his plan and probably part of Dick’s too just putting together the few facts she knew. What if she was right also about the fact that the Leviathans would have no interest in making a deal with him? Or if, even worse, they would just use him? He couldn’t allow them to do it, no matter how powerful they were. He hummed to himself quietly. It was time to prepare a backup plan, just in case that he had miscalculated.


	18. XVIII.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!  
> It's been a while since the last update, and once again I'm very sorry for it. Unfortunately, my life is still very hectic and I can't keep up with regular updates. I'm still very willing to keep this story going, and I hope someone will be patient enough to stick with me.  
> This character is a bit messy (and a perhaps a bit too angsty/cheesy in some points), but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. I'll try to post the next one in a week or so!
> 
>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

Gabriel landed in the middle of the brothers’ motel room, hands on his hips. Sam had kept him on the phone for more than forty-five minutes, asking him an insane number of questions about what Margot and Tyler had told him and making him repeat the story at least three times. He liked talking with the kid, he was good with his words and could always tell you something interesting, but at times he was a royal pain in the ass. He would have rather have him moaning and stuttering like he had been during the ritual. A malicious smirked blossomed on his face. He really needed to work out a plan to get Sam back under him, naked and panting, possibly somewhere faraway from Dean.

Humming with delight at the thought, he took off his jacket and threw it on one of the chairs. The Winchesters would be out for at least three hours, which meant that he had some spare time for himself. And he could really use a distraction. Part of his thoughts kept going back to Castiel and he hated feeling so worried and powerless. He wanted to persuade himself that his brother was fine, that he was more than able to take care of himself, but he knew too well that it was a mere lie. The other angel was a very good fighter and he was smart enough not to put his life in danger for nothing, but, considering his current situation, he was almost surely having a very hard time _surviving,_ wherever he was. The only thing Gabriel could do was _hoping_ that Castiel was managing and that he would find very soon what he needed. The fact that he couldn’t know for certain made him feel even more uncomfortable.

The archangel sighed and shook his head. He had to stop those thoughts or he would soon be flying around the planet looking for his brother, his promises being damned. And he couldn’t do that. Castiel had asked him to trust his decisions and he had to comply. It was a test for them both, a really important one, and he wasn’t allowed to fail. So, distractions. He was good at that. And, after all, what could have kept his thoughts away from his younger sibling more than a fair amount of yummy sweets and his favourite girls? Besides, he had earned himself a prize after the good job he had done that day to help the Winchesters. A bit of healthy entertainment was the least he could indulge in.

He waved his hand a little, trying to decide what kind of sweets he was in the mood for. Chocolate, berries maybe, and a lot of cream everywhere. Nodding in satisfaction, he snapped his fingers and a small table with four different cakes appeared from nowhere at the bottom of the bed. It was good enough for a start. He sank a finger in the nearest sweet, gathering a small amount of snow-white topping and bringing it to his lips. The fresh sugary flavour spread on his tongue and he hummed in delight. Perfect. That was exactly what he wanted. Now he just needed the right company.

He occupied himself with the cream once again, distractedly letting his powers flowing out and shaping the bodies of his entertainers. However, when he turned around to greet them, he didn’t found his usual, sexy models. His eyes widened in surprise and his satisfied smirk faltered for a moment. In front of him there were two identical copies of Sam, both wearing just a pair of tight, very low-waist jeans. The two were literally devouring him with their eyes, their gaze offering promises that could match his most creative fantasies.

“Hey, Gabe,” one of them purred, crossing his arms on his naked chest. “You weren’t expecting me, were you?”

“Oh, aren’t you a little bit too overdressed?” The other added, reaching out for him and tugging at his T-shirt. “We should do something about it.”

“Yeah, you really should, Sammy,” the archangel agreed, still half astonished. That wasn’t what he had planned. But it didn’t mean that he didn’t like it. Quite the contrary. “And, no, I wasn’t expecting you,” he added then, overcoming his initial shock. His smirk came back even wider and he sank his fingers in the hair of the clone who had approached him. The copy’s hands had already sneaked under the Trickster’s clothes and his mouth had locked on his neck. That was surely going to be much fun. “But it’s a delightful surprise. Come here, gigantor. Join your twin!”

The other Sam’s smile grew brighter and he stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Gabriel grabbed the back of his head and made him bend down to be able to kiss him. The clone moaned happily and readily opened his lips for him, letting him slip his tongue past them and then kissing him back with eagerness. The shorter man tightened his grip on both Sams’ hair. His subconscious should have had this idea sooner. It was a very nice change of scenery, one he would gladly experience over and over again.

He felt something cold against his skin and broke the kiss to find that the copy who had been working on his neck was now holding a strawberry against it. The latter waved the fruit in front of him and he opened his mouth after offering him a huge grin, letting the other slip the berry on his tongue. He sucked on the clone’s fingers before he could pull them back and then brought him down too for a kiss. Distractions were always an awesome idea. He was really starting to wish that the Winchesters would stay out all night.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Sam shifted a little the folders he was carrying in his arms as he followed Dean into the hall of their motel. The keeper of the archive, a sixty-years-old, white-haired man, had been very reluctant to let them in and, after they had succeeded in persuading him, he had given them only an hour to find what they needed and leave. No words or money had been able to make him change his mind. He didn’t care if they were FBI or CIA or, his words, “the bloody president himself”, the archive stayed opened just for one more hour and he wasn’t doing any exception. Dean had started to protest quite loudly, but his younger sibling had grabbed him by the sleeve, pulling him away from the man, and had stated that one hour was more than enough. The keeper had glared at them with hostility, but then had let them pass.

The two hunters had spent most of their time quickly going through the folders to find the ones that could interest them. The archive was messy and just the latest sections seemed to be organised following some kind of order. Dean had kept on cursing under his breath and Sam had done his best to ignore him and stay calm, but the situation was starting to get on his nerves as well. He had a method he applied every time he did his researches and not being able to work as he usually did had unsettled him and made him nervous.

When the keeper had joined them exactly one hour later, they had just finished putting together all the useful material. The man had chased them out briskly, mumbling something about the fact that they had better not lose anything and bring back what they had taken soon. The older Winchester had left without even glancing at him and leaving the goodbyes to his younger sibling, who for once had been very brief and very reluctant in turn. The drive back had been quick, with the music pumping out of the speakers loudly. They both couldn’t wait to get back to the motel and to be able to work properly.

“There we are,” Dean said as he stopped in front of the door of their room, pulling the key out of his front pocket. “One more minute with that old fart and I’d have…”

He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening at the scene that presented before them as he opened the door. Gabriel, wearing only his silky red boxers, was seated on the lap one of Sam’s clones, who had his mouth laced to the side of his neck and his hands slowly travelling on the archangel’s torso. The other Sam was on his knees in front of him, his back to the two hunters, and he was busying feeding the shorter man some cake from a small plate. One of Gabriel’s hands was tangled in the hair of the copy behind him, guiding his head on his skin, while the other was tracing the other clone’s lips.

The angel froze on the spot when the door opened and he and the Winchesters kept staring at each other for a moment before the first blurted out, completely astonished: “Whoa! You weren’t supposed to see this!” His voice was a bit hoarse. “What in Heaven are you doing back so early?!”

“Ah, for God’s sake! My eyes!” Dean exclaimed, covering his face with his hands, while Sam remained completely still in the doorway, gaping, his expression being half-way between incredulity and horror. “Would you please fucking… _clear out_? And put some clothes on, you son of a bitch!”

Gabriel snapped his fingers and one second later both the clones and the sweets were gone and he was once again fully dressed. “Come on, Deano! We’ve already been through this!” He snorted, rolling his eyes. “Besides, it was my spare time and I’m free to…” He stopped mid-sentence as he caught the sight of Sam turning around and almost running away from the room, shutting the door with force behind himself. “What was that?! I mean it was nothing…”

Dean grabbed him by the hems of his jacket before he could end the sentence and slammed him into the nearest wall. “Say that there was nothing wrong in what you were doing and I’ll trap you in a circle of holy fire for the rest of your sorry eternal life. Got it, you poor excuse of an angel?” He growled, furious. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. And he wished badly to be able to forget it too. “First of all, you’ve just scarred me for eternity and I’ll dream of you fondling my younger brother even when I’m dead. Secondly, that…those were _Sam_ , not some of your toy-girls! And you have the courage to be surprised seeing him running away? Are you completely stupid, you damned feather-head?!”

“Calm down, Winchester!” The archangel talked back, grabbing the arm that was threatening to smother him and pushing it down a little. He could have easily freed himself from the other’s grip, but something in the human’s eyes kept him in place. Those green irises were burning with anger, protectiveness and also something that looked like disappointment. “It was just a little trick. A game! That’s what I do, no offence intended.”

“Oh, so that’s what Sam is for you? Just a fucking _game_?” The hunter exclaimed, pressing him against the wall even harder. “You dirty asshole! Now listen to me, ‘cause I’m not repeating myself.” He sank a finger into the former Trickster’s ribs as the shorter man tried to talk. “Don’t try to interrupt me while I’m talking unless it’s for answering my questions!”

“Are you aware of whom you’re dealing with, Dean?” Gabriel questioned, narrowing his eyes, his tone getting a little lower. He hated being told what to do. He had even disobeyed God more than once when he was still living in Heaven, so he was surely not going to listen to a mere human. Even if he had to admit that he liked the other’s determination and recklessness. They were similar under that point of view. “You shouldn’t try me.”

“Oh, what I know is that I have a jar full of holy oil and that I’ll use it if I need!” Dean shot back, stubbornly ignoring the threat hidden in the other voice. He was aware that Gabriel could have just snapped him in space or implode him without even needing to move a finger if he wanted, but he couldn’t care less in that moment. He had warned him that, if he had messed with Sam, the bastard would have to deal with him and he meant to keep that promise. “Maybe I could even take a page out of your brother’s book and molotov you.And I also know that, if you do something to me, Cas will kick your ass when he gets back.” He winced a bit as he mentioned the other angel, but he did his best to ignore the unpleasant feeling in his guts. “And you don’t want to piss off your little brother again, do you?”

“Touché, Winchester,” the archangel conceded, opening his arms a little. He had looked briefly away when the human named Castiel, but luckily his speaker was too angry to notice the small frown that had appeared on his face. “I don’t want to disappoint my little bro, but this doesn’t mean that I can’t put you to sleep if you don’t let go of me immediately.”

Dean hesitated for a moment, tightening his grip on the other’s torso. He would have rather keep the angel trapped against the wall, but he was aware that he didn’t have a say in that if the shorter man had decided that he had enough. If Gabriel hadn’t still broken free it was because he had chosen to play along with him and so, maybe, he would listen to him without having to be forced to. “Fine,” he mumbled, reluctantly, moving away, but his eyes never left his speaker. “Now, answer my question, Trickster. Is Sam just a game for you?”

The creature glared at him, fixing his jacket. “Why do you care? Your brother is an adult, he’s old enough to take care of his own life without you watching his every move. It’s annoying, you know? You should let him go once and for all, I’ve already told you this. And in very evident ways,” he said, his tone emotionless. “Whatever goes on between him and me concerns only us. It’s none of your business.”

The older Winchester held his cold gaze without hesitation, crossing his arms on his chest. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s none of my business and I’d rather not to know when and how you ravish my little brother. Or, better, I’d like it best if you didn’t touch him at all. Do you think I approve this whatever fucked-up thing that’s going on between you two? Well, I do _not._ If my brother is stupid enough to consider you a nice company, it’s so much worse for him. Away from my eyes you two can do whatever you want,” he spoke, his voice hard and filled with irritation. How could that jerk not see what the whole affair was about? He and Sam were family and they had the duty to stand up for each other. The Trickster should know that since he had more than once done the same for Castiel since his return. “However, Sam’s happiness _is_ my business. If you think that I’ll let a dickhead like you hurt him, you got it all wrong. If you play him, then it becomes my business, I told you that already. You fucking angels have already done your best to ruin our lives. I’m not letting you do it again. What do you think Sam has thought after seeing you using his image as tool to pleasure yourself? If you aren’t being serious with my brother, fuck off and find someone else to toy with.

Gabriel stared at him, not really knowing what to feel. The older Winchester was giving him, using his own special language, the same kind of talking that fathers used to give their daughters’ boyfriends. If his speaker hadn’t looked so eager to kill him on the spot he would have laughed in his face. The human’s level of protectiveness towards his younger sibling was incredible. “You serious?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Deadly serious,” the hunter answered firmly, never looking away.

The archangel remained quiet for a while, reflecting. He could see the hunter’s hands twitching with impatience, but the human didn’t do anything to put him in a hurry. He had to be taking the whole matter more seriously than he had anticipated. He had thought that, after finding out what the ritual had consisted in, Dean would have simply turned the other way every time he tried something with Sam. And he had believed that the older Winchester would be happier if it had turned out that his interest in his brother was nothing serious. In that moment, instead, his disappointment seemed to originate exactly from the fact that he had been led to believe that he was just fooling around. Which he was not. He looked away from a brief moment. If Dean was ready to overcome his antipathy for him and to let him have his way with Sam because he thought that the two of them could work, then he deserved to know how he really felt, no matter how much his pride would complain. But it didn’t mean that he would start to show himself all nice and soft. He hadn’t forgotten that the kid had just threatened him.

“I must have done a really wonderful work playing the Trickster if you keep forgetting that I’m an angel. I might be an asshole, but I do have a moral code, even if it can be a bit perverse from time to time,” he said in the end, in a sharp tone. “It’s true, I like playing people, but when it comes to seduction I’m pretty direct. If I had wanted just sex from your brother, be sure that I’d have already got plenty of it and I wouldn’t be fooling around.” He caught the other’s confused look and rolled his eyes. That idiot was really unable to understand innuendos. He would give him something more explicit. “Maybe what you’ve seen before might push you not to believe me, but I swear I didn’t plan for it. I didn’t create Sam’s clones on purpose.”

It was Dean’s turn to look surprise. “What is that supposed to mean? That you didn’t create two half-naked clones of my brother willingly?” He questioned, looking sceptical. “And you really think that I’ll buy that crap?”

Gabriel felt the strong need to bang his head against a wall. “Of course not! I’m just feeling like embarrassing myself for no reason in front of you big idiot. How can you even think that I want you to believe me,” he claimed, voice heavy with sarcasm. When would the kid stop being so stupid? He had potential, he could see it, but apparently the other was too stubborn to use it. “Come on, Deano! Stop being so dumb for a moment! And now _you_ listen carefully, because I won’t say it again. And, if you tell this to someone, I’ll personally make sure that your forty years of Hell will look like a glass of water once I’ll be done with you.” He started pacing a little, not looking at his speaker, a frown on his face. “I’ll be completely straightforward since your little brain seems unable to put together the easiest puzzle. I’m not lying. After I phoned you I came here and I thought I could enjoy myself a bit. I solved your case, I mean, I deserved a reward! And I opted for a little snack and for some good company. I meant to create my usual girls, I swear, but when I turned around there were two Sams. I was more shocked than you at first. But then I told myself “why not?”. You can imagine what happened next.” He sighed, running a hand on his face. His voice softened a bit. “I like your brother, truly. I told him this more than once. I’m not playing with him, I just…”

“Have a huge crush on him and don’t really know what to do about that,” the hunter completed for him, seeing him struggled to find the right words. He felt relieved, even if he had no intention to admit it, not even to himself, but he couldn’t help cracking a small smile. “I guess you two morons really deserve each other. Maybe I’m an idiot, but you’re both love-struck, full of hormones teenage girls. Don’t try to deny it, your _subconscious_ agrees with me. If you angels have something like that. Anyway…You _suck_ at wooing people, dude. How did you even get hooked up with a woman like that Kali?!”

“She did most of the work,” the shorter man admitted, lifting his eyes. He felt embarrassment stirring in his gut, but he did his best not to show it. The human was right. He sucked at doing good, right things. From trying to play the role of the angel to deal with his own feeling. “So, what am I supposed to do now? Tell me, since you claim to be such an expert. You’ve never had a real, working, sane relationship in your life.”

“Hey! We aren’t talking about me. And I spent a whole year with Lisa, so shut up,” Dean talked back defensively. That bastard always wanted to have the last word. “And what the hell does it mean “what I’m supposed to do”? It’s _obvious_!”

“Yeah, because your _brother_ made you swear that you’d go to her,” Gabriel pointed out, not impressed. He crossed his arms and grumbled. “Well, it’s not obvious to me. So do speak, _genius_.”

The older Winchester opened his mouth to protest, but he decided that it wasn’t worth the trouble. His speaker was provoking him, but he wouldn’t fall for his tricks, not this time. He wasn’t there to waste his time arguing with the archangel. He was there to do his duty as big brother and scold the jerk for his childish idiocy. He was fed up with the way he and his brother kept messing with each other. “Go after him, you asshat! He should be in the nearest bar. Ha might be all “petting healthy and crap, but he’s still a Winchester. And we get drunk when we’re upset. It’s the family tradition.” He waved a hand to dismiss his own words. “Anyway. You said you can be direct, can’t you? Then find him, tell him what you told me and then you can make up… _make out_ , or whatever! Just stay away from me while you’re doing that!”

The archangel stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right, kiddo. And I’m a moron,” he mumbled, reaching out for the handle and opening the door. He stopped in the threshold. The two of them had never liked each other too much, but they were companions, in some weird way. His voice was low and sincere when he spoke. “Thanks, Dean.”

The hunter looked away, feeling awkward. “You’re welcome,” he muttered under his breath, scratching the back of his head. “Now, go to Sam and stop having chick-flick moments with me. I’m the wrong Winchester.”

The shorter man snorted in amusement and quickly walked out of the room. The kid was right. He had been messing around too much and that was the result. The fact was that he hadn’t wanted completely to admit to himself how much he was involved with the younger Winchester. Feeling attraction was fine, he could deal with liking him. Even having sex could be good, if the whole thing stayed physical. But getting emotionally involved was a whole other matter. He didn’t do relationships, he wasn’t good at them. His previous attempts had been disastrous. Only the bond he had shared with Kali had worked out, at least for a while. But none of them had asked the other for full commitment. They felt good together and so they had kept seeing each other until the feeling had fallen apart. What Sam would ask him would be something more. Full commitment, no cheating, efforts to make it right even when things between them would get difficult. He wasn’t sure he could do that, it was too much. And yet he didn’t slow down his pace as he quickly walked out of the motel. Maybe he was about to make a huge mistake, to throw himself in something that simply wasn’t for him, but he couldn’t help thinking that Sam Winchester was worth the risk.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Sam took a small sip of his whiskey, closing his eyes as the strong liquor burnt down in his throat and feeling incredibly stupid sat as he was at the counter of the pub behind the motel. He had had enough common sense to leave the folders to the desk clerk at the entrance before getting out of the building and taking refuge in the corner of the warm room where he was now. If Dean called him a girl once he got back, this time he would not protest because for once his brother would be right. He had acted like a teenage girl, running away and slamming the door behind him. But he couldn’t have stood the sight of Gabriel using his image as a vile plaything for a second longer.

He ran a hand in his hair. He should have expected something similar from the former Trickster, he really should have, but the archangel had always seemed so sincere every time he had told him that he had a soft spot on him and the caring warmth in his touch had felt so real. He had fooled himself thinking that _maybe_ he could get something more than sex and games from the shorter man. Because, apparently, he had been wrong. Gabriel saw him as nothing different from one of his fake girls. And that thought made him feel awful, no matter how many times he told himself that he had more important matters to deal with and that he couldn’t waste his time in a bar, getting drunk and feeling heartbroken.

“Excuse me?” A voice called from behind his shoulders, breaking the trail of his gloomy thoughts. “Is this seat free?”

He turned his head around to see who had spoken. A young woman in her last twenties was standing before him, thick locks of dark hair falling on her forehead and covering her brown eyes. She was slim and pretty in her short red dress and black leggings, but her slumped posture betrayed her tiredness. She had to have already had a few drinks, he could deduce it from her unstable balance and her slightly slurred voice.

“Of course,” he answered without really thinking, gesturing the chair before going back to his drink. “Suit yourself.”

The woman nodded, offering him a small smile, and then turned immediately to the barkeeper. “The strongest thing you have, please,” she said with a sigh. She glanced again at Sam. “I had a very bad day,” she offered as a justification, looking almost embarrassed. “Usually I don’t drink anything stronger than a Margarita.”

He smiled politely in turn and played with his own glass. “This makes two of us,” he mumbled, his thoughts going back to the motel room. He realised that he had left Gabriel and a very pissed Dean alone in the same room and surely that wouldn’t bring anything good, especially after what his brother had stated that morning. However, at the moment, he couldn’t care less. The two could fight and shout if they wanted, and his sibling could even trap the archangel in a circle of holy fire, if it made him feel better. It was none of his business. For him the matter was already closed. He just needed to find a way to work with the shorter man without letting his feelings interfering. He bit back an exasperate sigh. He didn’t even know when the small, crazy crush he had admitted to have on the former Trickster had grown into something so troublesome.

“I’m sorry to hear that we share the same bad mood,” the woman commented, giving him a sympathetic look. She extended her hand. “Jane, by the way.”

He shook it, without real enthusiasm. “Sam.”

“So, what happened to such a handsome guy like you?” Jane asked, grabbing the drink that the barkeeper had just poured her and gulping it all in a go. She coughed lightly, closing her eyes for a moment as the strong liquor burnt her throat. “Another, please.”

Sam considered for a moment to just tell her to mind her business and that he wasn’t in the mood to talk, but in the end he decided against it. He didn’t want to have a discussion with the woman and he didn’t want to leave the pub either since he had already got comfortable in his seat. Being polite and detached seemed to be the best option. “I had a bad fight with…” He started to answer, but stopped almost immediately, already at loss of words.

He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t know how he should define Gabriel. Their relationship had become too confused and complicate during those two weeks and he had no idea of what the archangel was to him. They were allies, but it was obvious that the word didn’t cover at all what was going on between them, and they weren’t exactly friends either. They weren’t lovers since their intimacy had been limited to what had happened during the ritual and surely the shorter man wasn’t his boyfriend. Dean had kept calling the trickster “his angel”, but the term would just confuse his speaker since she had no idea of what he was really talking about. Besides, he didn’t think that his brother’s definition fitted either.

“With my partner,” he concluded in the end, choosing the most ambiguous word he could find, even if he knew how Jane would have interpreted it. “It seems that we have very different points of view regarding…us.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I understand how you feel. It sucks,” the woman nodded in a sad tone. “My boyfriend has just dumped me. After almost two years together. I loved him, I still do.” Her voice filled with bitterness as she gulped down her second drink. “But apparently it wasn’t enough for him.”

The hunter muttered a “Sorry” and nodded in agreement. Jane was in a talkative mood and she didn’t seem to care whether he contributed or not to the conversation. He found that he didn’t mind at all. Listening to the tale of a complete stranger was a good way to keep his own troubles out of his mind. He could relate to some parts of the story he was being told, but just the fact that it didn’t include anything supernatural was enough to make it easy for him to distance himself. He couldn’t help noticing, not without a small pang of melancholy, how normal daily life now sounded so alien to him.

“You know, we could cheer up each other, to the spite of our fucking exes,” the woman suggested after a while, changing the subject almost without warning. She was having her fifth drink and she was obviously drunk. Her cheeks were red and her pupils dilated. She reached out for him. “It would be so much fun…”

Sam had been listening only distractedly, busying himself with his own drink, and hadn’t noticed how his speaker’s eyes had started to devour him. He turned towards her, surprised by the sudden long that had filled her tone, and read immediately what she was proposing in her stare. He opened his mouth to politely decline the offer, and maybe to tell her that he was sorry but he needed to leave because it was getting late. The last thing he needed was being harassed by a drunk woman. He wasn’t in the mood for any kind of intimacy, not after what he had witnessed.

However, before he could speak a word, Jane’s lips were on his and she had pressed herself against him, her hands travelling lower than they should have. He remained still, caught off guard by the attack, not knowing what he should do. His reason told him that he should push the woman away and go back to the motel, but a small, almost childish part of him kept on whispering “Why not?”. If Gabriel could play his dirty games, he should be doing the same thing, getting a small payback.

His fingers grasped Jane’s shoulders, unable to decide if it was to push her away or bring her closer. She was pretty, willing and drunk. It would be a pity to waste such a good opportunity, the voice in his head was saying. There was nothing wrong in having a bit of fun after all. And yet he had a very bad feeling about the whole thing.

In the end, it was the woman who pulled away, grinning widely and seductively at him. He forced a tiny smile on his lips, still feeling very uneasy. He shouldn’t give in, especially if it meant using a vulnerable girl just to get back at a son of a bitch as Gabriel was. And yet it was so tempting. It would be a one-time thing, not strings attached. Where was the problem with that?

Jane leant in for another sloppy kiss, but, before she could reach him, Sam felt it. A powerful, enraged energy filling the air and making it unbearably heavy. One moment later, their glasses were knocked over and the liquor fell straight on their clothes. The woman let out a gasp of surprise, unable to understand what had just happened, while the hunter quickly turned towards the bar window. His eyes met Gabriel’s ice-cold ones for a moment, then the archangel was gone, disappearing in thin air.

Sam cursed heavily and jumped on his feet, ignoring Jane’s confused words and running out of the pub towards the hotel. He hadn’t expected the archangel to come after him, and surely he hadn’t meant him to see that unwanted kiss. He could imagine what the shorter man had to have thought when he had seen him with the woman and it made him feel awful. If Gabriel had come looking for him, it meant that he and Dean had given him the famous talk his brother had told him about. He realised with a groan with a groan that his sibling wouldn’t have allowed the former Trickster to come after him if the latter had stated that he just wanted to have fun. Gabriel was serious with him, in his own weird way. It hadn’t been just a game. And he had just ruined everything by making out with a random woman without a real reason.

He sped up his pace. He needed to explain that it was all a misunderstanding and hoped that the archangel would listen to him. That was his chance to get something good out of the sacrifices and the sorrow he and Dean had been forced to bear during the last years and he had no intention of wasting it. They had both acted like idiots and made mistakes, and surely Gabriel hadn’t been as sensitive and thoughtful as he had wanted him to be, but that didn’t change that he cared about the shorter man. A lot. He had even started to think that maybe, with time, he would start feeling for him what he had had with Jessica.

After her death, he had thought that he would never fall in love again. She was the person of his life, the one for him. And she was gone. It had happened to him to feel something intense for some of the women he had met during their wandering. Sarah, Madison, Ruby too, even if he was sure that his attraction to her had been partially due to his deep desire for her blood. However, he had never believed that they could give him what he had with Jessica. He had been resigned to spend his life by Dean’s side and to share it with no one else but his brother. And then Gabriel had appeared out of nowhere and had put back the pieces of his soul. Literally. He didn’t know if it had been the ritual to create the connection between them or if it was just the fact that the archangel had a pull that charmed him against his will, but the truth was that, if someone could make him fall again and actually stay in his life, it was Gabriel. And that was why he would fight for him with all his strength.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Gabriel landed in the middle of the hotel room. He could feel his nails sinking in his palms, but he couldn’t bring himself to relax. He was deeply disappointed, both with Sam and with himself. He had been ready to change his way of dealing with people and bonds just for a human and because another mud monkey had given him the protective brother’s speech. And with what result? He had ended up making a fool of himself. The younger Winchester had been kind and sympathetic with him, and the tension that had blossomed between them after the ritual was undeniable, but apparently the whole thing ended there. He should have seen that. Maybe Sam did like him in a way, but most of his interest for him had to be the consequence of him putting his Grace inside the hunter’s soul. He felt connected to him, but it had to be an illusion if the human had so easily thrown himself in the arms of the first woman he had met after being disappointed by him. He had been insensitive, a big asshole, but in his opinion if Sam had cared about him as much as Dean had stated he wouldn’t have let that nameless bitch jump on him.

He ran a hand in his hair and snorted. He was _jealous_. He felt both angry and hurt, and he hated it because it made him feel vulnerable, something he couldn’t afford to be, especially not with a war going on, not when he needed to be firm and strong for the others. He already had doubts, his issues about himself and his role. He couldn’t allow his feelings for Sam to get in his way as well. He needed to leave, to go and fight to remind himself what he was supposed to do.

“What the hell are you doing here? Where the hell is Sammy?” Dean’s confused voice exclaimed, interrupting his thoughts. “I told you to…”

“I know what you told me, Winchester,” he cut him off, his tone cold and hard. “I went after him, but apparently your brother wasn’t so miserable as you thought he would be. He may like me, but he still prefers a nice woman, I guess. Can’t really blame him.” He lifted a hand to prevent the other from speaking. “Don’t. It’s fine, I understand,” he said with a shrug, even if it wasn’t the truth. “Now. I don’t have time for this. Raphael won’t wait until I’m done dealing with my aching heart. I have some urgent affairs waiting for me. Trouble in paradise. Literally.” And with that he was gone, leaving behind an even more puzzled hunter.

Dean stared at the spot where the archangel had been until one moment before and then let out and exasperate sigh. He hadn’t completely gasped what the shorter man had said, but he had understood that his brother was responsible for his awful mood and that they wouldn’t see Gabriel for a while. “Fucking angels,” he muttered under his breath. “Why can’t talk straight instead of disappearing on you.”

In that moment the door of the room burst open and Sam entered in a hurry. “Gabriel!” He called, looking around quickly. Seeing that the his brother was alone he cursed under his breath and let out a groan. “Where is he?”

“Gone,” the older Winchester answered calmly, crossing his arms. “He said something about you preferring pretty women and that he needed to go and kick Raphael’s ass. Do you care to tell me what the hell you’ve done? Did you jump on some random chick to heal your broken heart?”

“That’s not…It wasn’t me! _She_ jumped on me,” the younger hunter exclaimed, opening his arms. “She was drunk and her boyfriend had just dumped her…I thought that there was nothing wrong if I offered her a shoulder to cry on. I didn’t expect her to make a move on me. And especially I didn’t expect Gabriel to come after me!”

“I told him to, after he said that he was serious with you. One of the worst conversations of my life actually, but, trust me, that bastard is on the good way to be head-over-heels in love with you,” Dean snorted, rolling his eyes. That was just great. “Well, anyway, congrats, genius. We’ve lost the other angel in our team now. Awesome! I really wonder how we’ll fight those fucking Leviathans on our own.”

“He’ll come back,” Sam stated firmly, but his voice betrayed his concern. “I know, I acted like an idiot and I screwed up, but it’s not my fault. Not completely, at least.”

The older hunter sighed, clearly upset. “I know it’s not, Sammy. You can’t help being a girl. I tell you what I told him. You two morons deserve each other,” he stated, more harshly than he had planned to. He forced himself to soften his voice. “Listen, I know I shouldn’t pour all this out on you. But…This day is getting worse and worse. First we lost the Leviathan, then Bobby says that Frank seems to have disappeared, and now this mess with Gabriel. I don’t want to think about what will happen next.”

“You don’t have to apologise. I’ve clearly helped making this whole situation even more difficult for us all. And it’s not the first time.” Sam lowered his eyes, his thoughts going back to what had happened during the Apocalypse. “We’ll fix this. I still don’t know how, but we will. It’s what we do, isn’t it? You always say it. Saving people, hunting things. Even if it’s not as simple as it used to be, the concept is still the same.”

Dean shook his head. “I wish I could see it that way, Sammy,” he mumbled quietly. Then he changed the subject without warning. “Why don’t you go and get us some dinner? I’m getting hungry. And please, don’t make out with the waitress while you are on your way.”

The younger Winchester nodded, grasping the silent request hidden in those words. His brother needed some alone time again and he could hazard a guess on how he was going to spend it. “Yeah, sure. I’m feeling a bit peckish too,” he lied, ignoring the taunting and reaching out for the door handle. “I’ll be back in about half an hour.”

The other cracked a small grateful smile, which was reciprocated. “Thanks, Sammy.”

“Don’t mention it, Dean,” Sam answered, slipping out of the room.

The older hunter waited for his brother’s steps to have faded away before letting himself fall on his bed. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed it slowly. “I’m feeling an idiot just for having thought to do this, but…I don’t know what else I could do. Maybe not following the advice of a trickster-y son of a bitch, but he’s your brother so…” He started, talking to the empty room. He let his voice trail off and he clenched his fists. “Damn it, Castiel! Where the hell are you? It’s been two fucking weeks since you left me without a clue of what you have to do! Your idiotic brother has decided that he could wander off and try to commit suicide by fighting Raphael alone. He must have a thing for being killed by other archangels. It would be the second time it happens. You should really come back and talk some sense into him. He and Sam should just have a damned talk and then…do whatever they want. I have more important things to care about. I don’t have time for couple therapy.”

He stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. What was he even doing? He didn’t know if Castiel was listening, if he was still able to. He was most likely wasting his breath and energy, but he needed to try. At worst, he would get no answer and become annoyed to no end, but at best he could get to know that the angel was still out there, somewhere.

“Cas, man, come on! Two fucking _weeks_. I need to know that you’re alright, okay? That you haven’t got yourself killed just because I couldn’t keep my tongue in check,” he started again, in a more gentle tone. “So, _please_ , just…I don’t know, knock twice, give me a sign, or whatever you angels do in these cases. I really need to know that you’re going to be fine. You know I’m not the type of guy who usually beg, but _please_. I’m praying to you, feather-head, so answer! Even if things are still not right between us, I want…It’s weird not to have you around.”

He waited for some time, still and silent, but the tension in his shoulders grew as the seconds went by. He would get no answer, he knew that, but he still couldn’t help hoping. He had never been one who hung on those kinds of evanescent things, but it had been the angel himself who had taught him the worth of hope and faith. Castiel had always kept on believing even after everything had crumbled before their eyes. There was a strength in his stubbornness that had somehow planted seeds inside his soul too. And that was why he had decided to give Gabriel’s suggestion a try, even if it meant receiving the delusion of the lack of an answer.

He closed his eyes, feeling both anger and sadness burdening his chest. “Alright, Cas. Fine. Don’t answer me. I’m not even sure if you’re listening to me. Once you always did, but now…I don’t know what to think anymore. You know what? I don’t care if you don’t want to listen or answer or if you have decided that I’m not worth the trouble…Whatever, you fucking son of a bitch.” He snorted shaking his head. “Just…Come back once you’re done, alright? You _have_ to come back. ‘Cause I’m not dealing with your older brother by myself. And I’m not fixing your mess while you wander around looking for enlightenment. Understood? I’ll be waiting, Cas. And don’t you dare to give up, ‘cause I’ll do much worse than shoving you against a wall and kick your ass as you did to me that time. You should know by now that pissing off a Winchester is not a good idea. Monster, demon, angel or whatever. Don’t forget this.” He went silent again, before whispering: “Come back to me, Cas. That’s the only thing I’m asking.”


	19. XIX.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

Castiel watched carefully the four demons circling him, following their every movement with attentive eyes. His right hand was gripping tightly at his angel blade, while his left was holding the bottle of holy water he had learnt to carry with him during the period spent with the Bales. The bite scar on his shoulder still ached slightly every time he moved his arm, but he forced himself to ignore it. He was getting used to the pain and the feeling didn’t bother him as much as it used to do anymore.

The demons had come out of nowhere while he was wandering in an empty warehouse somewhere in Michigan. He hadn’t sensed their presence until they had appeared in the room and they would have surely caught him off guard if he hadn’t already known that they were coming. He was following Crowley’s plan to lure Meg and make her come to him. The King of Hell had located the woman in that State and he had sent the angel to act as a bait for her. His former ally seemed to be sure that she would come running if she had sensed that, in his own words, “her favourite heavenly pet was in troubles”. And, of course, the attackers couldn’t know that Castiel was working with them. The angel hadn’t commented, but he had pictured in his mind the Devil’s inner amused smirk as the latter explained that it was the best way to make the whole act more realistic.

“Oh, look at what we’ve found! A little lost angel,” one of the demons, most likely the leader of the group, smirked, sounding delighted. “We were just starting to get bored. Instead, thanks to you, we’re going to have such a great time!”

“Castiel, aren’t you? Crowley wants you oh-so-bad! He’s going to make you his little bitch!” Another exclaimed, amused. “But he said that he wouldn’t complain if we had some fun before handing you to him. We just mustn’t kill you. So, you ready for some good old-fashioned torture?”

Castiel didn’t even bother to reply, but simply lifted his sword. He was alone against four and he was still weak from his last battle, but he wasn’t scared about losing or getting hurt. He had managed to escape a Leviathan, so a bunch of demons was nothing in comparison. They could even torture him if they wanted, he was used to it. He had suffered the worst pains and sorrows in Heaven for his betrayal and he had gone literally through Hell to rescue Dean’s soul. There was nothing new those filthy creatures could do to him.

The demons exchanged amused glances, getting a little closer and watching him turning around slowly. They could see the angel’s state of tension and it made them even more eager to get their share of his blood. Their eyes were shining, black as the Pit from where they had come out.

In the end, after some more moments of stasis, the four finally attacked. Castiel narrowly avoided the blade of a knife that had been aiming for his throat, but got caught by one of his opponents by the arms and immobilised. He struggled hard to break free, but the other’s grip was iron, and he couldn’t stop a frustrated growl escaping his lips as he heard the hellish creatures’ laughter. The one who had spoken first stepped right in front him and hit him hard, firstly in the face and then his stomach, breaking his lips and a couple of ribs. The angel bit back a pained sound and spat out some blood, his blue eyes staring at his attacker with rage.

“Oh, what’s up now, little one?” The latter mocked cruelly. “Feeling helpless and hopeless? You should stop looking at me with that face, you only make me want to hurt you more. Why don’t you start _begging_ instead?” He grabbed Castiel’s chin and roughly pulled it up, ignoring the blood that was dripping from the broken skin. “I’d appreciate it if you show me a bit of submission…”

The angel frowned even more deeply and spat in his face. It was something he had never actually done before, but he had seen Dean doing it a few times and now he could really understand the meaning of that gesture. Even in his current situation it gave him a pang of satisfaction. “Get ready, because I am going to send you somewhere worse than the Pit,” he stated, his voice emotionless, but his eyes were shining with the small amount of Grace he had left. “And you won’t like it. I promise.”

The demon growled, cleaning his face with his sleeve, and hit him again, harder than before, making him doubling up with pain. “Wrong choice, angel. You’ve just asked for the worst kind of Hell you can imagine!” He stated, grabbing him from the throat and squeezing hard enough to almost break his trachea. “You’ll be a mess of blood and broken limbs when we hand you to Crowley. That’s _my_ promise!”

He lifted his arm, ready to punch him again, but a voice coming from behind them made him start, catching everyone off guard. “Hey boys! Four against one? Really? Isn’t it a bit too easy? Or you’re just wimps who are afraid to face a powerless angel alone? Oh, I bet you are!”

Castiel raised his head and his eyes landed on Meg. She was smirking widely and mockingly at the other demons, arms crossed and an angel blade in her hand. The woman shot him a brief glance, as if she was making sure that he was alright before taking a step towards his aggressors. “What? Are you afraid of a girl too? You’re a bunch of even worse cowards than I thought!”

The four growled at her with hatred, their attention shifting from their prey to her. The angel exploited their distraction to free himself from the grip that was smothering him and sank without hesitating his blade in the demon’s chest. The latter let out a deafening scream, his body falling on the dirty floor, lifeless.

Before the other three could react, Meg was on them too, her sword aiming for their vital point. She stabbed one of them in the heart, killing him on the spot, but she was caught by the hair by the leader of the group, who pulled her down, fighting to steal the weapon from her hands. Castiel, who was struggling against the other demon still alive, watched his unexpected ally try to resist the assault, but it was clear that the other creature was stronger than her. He was about to overpower her and that would mean that they both would get killed there and then.

With a great effort, he freed himself from his attacker’s arms and hit him hard in the stomach, tearing the breath out of him, and a second later he was on the leader. They struggled messily, the angel’s blade dangerously moving between their bodies, until in the end Castiel managed to kick the demon off, throwing him on the floor and trapping him with his body. The other screamed and cursed, scratching his arms deeply and hitting him with his knees, but the angel never let him go and finally managed to stab him with his sword. He got up, panting and a bit unsteady on his legs, and looked up to find that Meg had gotten rid of their last enemy.

“Nice work, angel boy. You still know how to impress a girl in spite of everything,” she teased maliciously, walking slowly towards him. “What are you doing all alone again, sweety? Did those humans dumped you after learning what you have done?”

Castiel took some steps backwards, but then stopped and allowed the demon to get closer to him. “I couldn’t stay with them. They would have been in danger if I had. I can’t force anyone to risk their life for my mistakes,” he answered, trying to keep his voice still. He wasn’t lying, that was exactly why he had decided to leave the Bales, even if the temptation to stay had been strong. “I have to deal with this alone.”

“Not alone, Castiel. You still have an alternative.” Meg stopped a few steps away from him and held her hand out. “My offer is still valid. Join me and we’ll kill those sons of a bitch together.” She grinned at him, almost seductively, seeing him hesitating. “Don’t be shy. I don’t bite. Unless you ask me to.”

The angel stared at her fingers, not making a move to take them nor moving away. “Why should I trust you?” He asked coldly. “It wouldn’t be the first time that you leave without fulfilling your part of the deal.”

The woman brought her hand to her chest. “You wound me, Clearance!” She exclaimed, faking offence. “I’m opening my heart to you right now and you accuse me of lying?” She closed the distance that separated them and encircled his neck with an arm to be able to speak in his ear, her body pressing suggestively against his. “Let me tell you this then, my sweet angel,” she whispered, her mouth on his skin. “The truth is that I like you. _Really_ like you. Together we could succeed where even Lucifer failed. You are God’s favourite boy, as our Father once was. It’s a sign, Castiel, it’s Fate speaking to you. Think about it. We could rule Hell and Heaven _together_.”

Castiel swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable every time she was physically close to him. He felt his vessel’s skin getting hotter and his breath quickening slightly against his will. It had to be what the humans called “physical attraction”, even if he was very reluctant to admit it. The two of them had a weird connection, he was aware of that, but it didn’t mean that he was ready to sacrifice his mission just to save her life and to give into her visionary projects. He didn’t want to rule, he had told that to his siblings more than once. He had been fighting for freedom, as Dean had taught him.

He forced himself to rest his hands on her shoulders. “We could, I can’t deny it,” he spoke in a quiet tone and saw Meg smiling widely at him, her eyes shining with twisted delight. “I can see it, feel it through your soul.” His grip on her suddenly tightened and he brought her even closer, his lips a breath away from hers. “But I feel compelled to confess something too. You were right about me. I’m a hypocrite.” And without warning he twirled them around and pushed her away with all his strength, slamming her against one of the pillars. His eyes left her and rested on the ceiling above her, where a devil trap had previously been drawn. “I _do_ work with demons.”

The sounds of someone clapping filled the air and a moment later Crowley materialised next to the angel, a satisfied smirk on his lips. “What a wonderful performance!” He commented amused. “I have to admit it, boy, you’re a more talented liar than I gave you credit for.”

Meg stared at them both with hatred. “You filthy bastard! You sold me!” She screamed hysterically, her eyes turning black. She started to yell, letting her powers out and trying to destroy the trap, but the waves of energy crashed against an invisible barrier. She let out a growl of frustration. “What have you done? Why can’t I break free?!”

“That trap is design specifically for you, bitch,” the King of Hell sang proudly. He rested a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “And my angel boy here lent me some of his Grace to make sure that you wouldn’t try to escape before the party started.”

The latter pulled away from the contact almost immediately and went to pick up the angel blade that Meg had dropped as she had been slammed against the cement. Then he walked towards her and stopped a step away from the trap border, looking straight into her eyes. “I haven’t enjoyed tricking you, no matter what Crowley may think. But it was you or I. I made my choice and I have no regrets,” he says, his voice flat. “You’ve caused many troubles in the past, but you have been a valuable ally too. I respect that. And I don’t deny that we are somehow… _connected_.” He titled his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. “But there are more important things I need to do. And if to accomplish them I have to sacrifice you, then I’m doing it without hesitation. I’m sure you can understand. After all, your devotion to my brother Lucifer has proven that you know what it means to be ready to do anything for your aim.”

Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and joined Crowley again. Behind him Meg was shaking with fury and her eyes wore a betrayed look, but she seemed to be unable to find a proper answer to his words. He ignored the feeling of her accusing stare burning on his back and focused on the King of Hell instead. “I did what you asked me,” he stated calmly. “According to our deal, I’m free to go.”

“Leaving already? I thought you wanted to stay and watch the show!” The demon answered, faking surprised, but his eyes were shining darkly. “Suit yourself, darling. I’m a man of my word. You can leave. But I’m sure we will meet again soon, angel boy. After all, I wouldn’t be allowing you to walk away alive, if I had no use for you.”

Castiel gave him a long, penetrating stare but didn’t answer. So the demon had something else already planned for him. He shouldn’t have been surprised to learn it. Asking for a clarification was out of question and he didn’t want to risk the other changing his mind about their deal. So, he spread his wings and was gone in a rain of feathers.

Crowley’s smirk widened. He was really curious to see how that whole affair would end. The angel seemed so desperate to find a solution to his problem, but at the same time he had had the impression that the other wasn’t really trying hard enough. It was as if a part of him didn’t want him to make it. He wondered which one would prevail.

He hummed quietly and turned towards his captive. First of all he had his own business that needed his care. “So, my dear, are you ready for another longer, awfully painful private session with me? I promise that you won’t enjoy it, not even a bit,” he claimed in a sweet tone, joining his fingers behind his back. “I can be very creative when it comes to some subjects who had the horrible idea to be a pain in my ass for such a long time. And you’re one of them. Oh, and you killed my beloved hellhound. I’ll never forgive you for that. Nor will his poor companion. He’s almost more eager than me.” His smirk widened dangerously as a growl came from behind his back. “I can’t wait to start!”

The woman opened his mouth to retort, but the King of Hell’s eyes flashed red, making all her insults freeze in her throat. She would never admit it, but Crowley was one of the few demons who really scared her. She gasped quietly, making him grin in delight. He could smell her fear and anxiety for what was about to come and their taste was delicious. He licked his lips slowly, already feeling the screams filling the air, the bittersweet smell of blood and the flavour of agony all around him. He would tear her limbs away, crash her bones one by one, cut her soul deeper and deeper until there was nothing left but a mess of horror, savouring every drop of her pain as a slowly as possible. He sighed quietly with pleasure, petting his hellhound. Exactly what he needed to unload the stress.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlie tiredly crossed the threshold of her motel room, allowing herself a sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her. Her head ached like hell and her limbs were numb. She had travelled all night, taking small naps and waking abruptly at the faintest noise, Roman’s delighted smirk before her eyes and in her ears the wet noises made by the creature who had devoured itself. She wasn’t even sure of where she was, but she knew one thing: she was far from her former boss and from Crowley, and for the moment it was enough.

She grabbed her mobile and tried to call Gabriel once again, but the number seemed to have been deactivated. She sighed and threw the phone away. She wondered if the archangel had made himself untraceable on a whim or if something had actually happened to him. She tried to focus on the first, less worrisome option. She had heard of how volatile the shorter man could be and besides he was one of the most powerful creatures on Earth, so it was unlikely that he had ended up deep in troubles.

She shook her head and chased those thoughts away. The boys were capable to take care of themselves, she had no reason to worry about them. She should really catch some sleep instead, or she would end up fainting somewhere less comfortable and safe than a cheap motel room. In that moment the small bed seemed the most inviting thing she had ever seen, so she undressed quickly and slipped under the sheets. A couple of hours of rest and she would hit the road again, she promised to herself as she set the alarm on her phone. One moment later she was unconscious, forced by her exhaustion in a welcome dreamless sleep.

 

The sun was already started its descent in the sky when Charlene opened her eyes again. Her mobile was on the floor, where she had to have thrown it by reflex when it had started to ring to tell her that nap time was up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. She had been sleeping for almost six hours. Goodbye to her plans of leaving that small town as soon as possible. But at least she was feeling a bit better.

Her stomach grumbled without warning and for the first time since she had left her flat she realised how hungry she was. She had already lost a lot of time, so she decided that she could afford to use one more hour to get some food. But, first of all, she really needed a long, hot shower. Her body would be very grateful, she was sure.

So, forty-five minutes later, she was walking along the main road, looking for a place that appealed her stomach, wearing some clean clothes and feeling almost reborn. The hot water had helped her relax and had chased away the nightmarish visions that had tormented her since she had fled from Roman’s office. She was starting to feel herself again, lucid and efficient. While having lunch, exploiting the diner internet connection, she would find out where exactly she was and would plan the quickest route to Bobby Singer’s house.

She was so absorbed in her once again optimistic thoughts that she didn’t notice the man coming from the opposite direction until she bumped into him. She jumped a little, caught off guard, coming back to reality abruptly. “Oh, sorry! I wasn’t watching where I…” She started to say, but stopped as soon as she noticed the stranger’s appearance.

The man’s clothes were ripped in many points and covered with dirt and dark stains. His once beige trench coat had a particularly large tear on his left shoulder, which exposed a big, nasty scar. The stranger’s black hair was a mess and he looked completely lost.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Hey, you alright, dude?” She asked, a bit worried about both her speaker’s state and her safety.

He turned towards her, titling his head and showing her the bluest eyes she had ever seen. His stare was emotionless and she couldn’t help thinking that he was one of the creepiest people she had ever met. And she had run into plenty of them. But that man, whoever he was, with his ripped clothes, void laser eyes and blank expression was the perfect picture of a mad psychopath.

Charlene cleared her throat, not knowing if she should laugh at him or run away screaming. In the end she opted for trying to talk again. “Man, I’m talking to you,” she offered uncertain, keeping her distances. “Are you feeling well? You look like as if you’ve been to Hell.”

He looked down at his clothes and frowned a bit. “I did once, not so much time ago,” he finally answered after a moment, his voice unstressed. “But it is not the cause of my current state. Not directly at least. I just had a bad week.”

The woman nodded, mentally deciding that her speaker was completely out of mind. But, since he didn’t seem to have bad intentions despite his freakish appearance, she chose to take the risk and play the good Samaritan. “My bad weeks usually end with me crying on my sofa with a huge bag of chocolate. Yours are totally on another level,” she commented, half joking and studying him carefully. She had the feeling that he was listening to her just partially, as if his mind was elsewhere. “Come on, I’ll buy you something to eat. I’m sure you really need it.” She gestured him the road. “By the way, I’m Charlie. And you are?”

The man hesitated for a moment before answering, as if he was unsure about what to say. “Jimmy,” he spoke in the end, but then he frowned again. “I’m really grateful, Charlie, but I cannot accept your offer. I’m looking for something, and I can’t afford to waste my time with something as trivial as food.”

The IT employee stared at him for a good minute, unable to think about anything but that her speaker was a freaking freak. “You won’t get anywhere if you don’t get some fuel, Jimmy,” she managed to say in the end, still a little unsettled by the other’s weirdness. “Come on, I said it’s on me! I’ll get offended if you don’t come. And, trust me, you don’t want to piss me off.”

The stranger looked at her as if she was the crazy one, but then nodded. “Thank you, Charlie.”

She waved a hand as they started to walk again side by side. “Don’t mention it.”

They remained silent until they found a diner that Charlie liked. Everyone turned to look at her companion as they entered, but luckily no one made inappropriate comments. She left the man at their table and went to order for them both, hoping that her new acquaintance didn’t have weird tastes in food as well. Then she joined him with a bottle of mineral water and two glassed, sitting in front of him.

“So, Jimmy,” she said after having drank a gulp of the fresh liquid seeing that the other had kept staring out of the window without paying attention to his surroundings. “What is it that you are looking for?” She realised how out of place that question could be only after she had spoken it, so she quickly added: “I mean, if you want to talk about it. I don’t want you to think that I’m a busybody. Just…I thought that maybe I could help. You look a little…lost.”

The man turned towards her and stared at her in silence for a while, forcing her to look away. His eyes were too deep, too shining. Then he spoke quietly, finally giving her his whole attention. “Don’t apologise, Charlie. I know that your question was free from malice. I would gladly offer you an answer, if I had one. But, as you said, I’m lost at the moment, in every sense.”

“Let me get this straight,” Charlie says slowly with a frown, lowering her glass. “You’re after something without knowing what it is? How is that even possible?”

The stranger shook his head. “It’s complicate. I cannot explain. There are things that must stay unknown for the good of the world,” he answered, closing his eyes, and for a moment the woman had the impression that he was hearing something she couldn’t. Then he opened them again and his irises were shining unnaturally. “Answer my question now, Charlie. Where would you look if you were looking for yourself?”

Charlene remained quiet for some time and almost didn’t notice that the waitress had brought them their food. The question had hit her hard and she somehow knew that its answer meant everything for her speaker, as if it was a matter of life or death. She lifted her fork and chewed her pasta slowly, her thoughts faraway from where her body was. She had lived many lives since her adolescence, creating new identities and new places for herself. And yet, despite those frequent changes, she had never lost sight of who she was under the different names. She had always been weird, hyperactive Charlie, the smart girl who liked playing the hacker and who had a soft spot for nerdy things and cute animals.

“I don’t know, Jimmy. It’s different for each person,” she answered in the end, watching the man devouring his burger. She couldn’t help noticing that it was the first normal thing he had done since they had met. “Some of us just need to close their eyes and think about the past. Others turn to family and friends. Some people to their faith. Science, religion, philosophy, whatever it is. Few lucky ones simply know. It’s a tricky question.”

The stranger nodded, his eyes showing a deep understanding and Charlene had the impression that he had read in her words much more that she herself could grasp. “And what if you have lost everything? What if you have neither friends nor family ready to welcome you? If your past is the source of your perdition?” He questioned again, his tone getting intense. “If you have committed the worst crime, lost your faith?”

Charlie lifted her eyes, despite the seriousness of the situation. Why was that guy so melodramatic? She had the feeling that she was starting to understand what was wrong with him, even if she couldn’t put the whole matter into focus. “First of all, stop crying on spilled milk. You made a mess? So much bad for you. But it won’t fix itself, so you need to roll up your sleeves and work harder,” she spoke with force and determination. “If you don’t know where to start from, well, the beginning is always the best choice. You need to figure out what you lost first and start from there. That’s what I do.” She took another forkful. “You’re religious, aren’t you? Or were, at least. You seem the type.”

“I know that God exists, but I don’t have faith in Him. Not anymore,” the man answered, his tone becoming bitter. “He abandoned us, so He is no longer worth of trust.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I think that is for me the start you were talking about.”

Charlene decided not to comment about the first part of the other’s speech. It sounded like huge blasphemy to her and she would have probably felt offended if she had been a believer. That guy’s way of thinking got weirder and weirder every time he opened his mouth. But she was starting to find him interesting too. “Maybe you could try to reconcile with your God as first thing,” she offered with a bit of uncertainty. “Many people feel better when they go to church and pray.”

The stranger shook his head. “I prayed to Him already, many times. He never answered. You can’t understand. He is _gone_. He has been for a long time.”

The woman frowned. His speaker’s words reminded her of the ones Crowley had spoken her, with a completely different tone, when he had told her about the averted Apocalypse. Could it be that the creature seated in front of her was not human? That would explain a lot of things. But if so, what was he? She wouldn’t say that he was a demon. “Well, then go there and insult him,” she stated crossing her arms. She was only half joking. “If he is such an asshole, it’s time that someone tells him that in his face.”

The man gave her a weird look, but he seemed to be considering her suggestion. “I have never tried that,” he admitted after a moment. “I have always thought that I had to be respectful since He is my Father, even if He had never done anything to earn that title. However…Someone recently taught me that family doesn’t end with blood and that you need to earn your right to be called such.”

“Wise words,” Charlie nodded with a small smile. “You should tell this to your “father”. And then give him a big “fuck you, old bastard” from my part too. Consider it a new start. Sometimes, when we lose our way, it simply means that it’s time to change, to find a new one.”

The man nodded and his eyes seemed to clear a bit, as if the burden they were carrying had been slightly lifted. “I will. Thank you, Charlie. I’ll treasure your words. I think that maybe I should give a try to the advice that a sage man gave me and try to forgive myself first.”

The woman reached out for him, before he could get up. “Wait a moment! Who are you, Jimmy?” She asked, feeling suddenly anxious. “I mean, _truly_.”

“It doesn’t matter. And it won’t until I find myself again,” he answered cryptically, titling his head in that weird way of his that suddenly reminded her of Gabriel. He seemed to notice her confusion and so he added: “They call me Castiel.”

One moment later he was gone, leaving the IT employee completely astonished. She had just told an angel to curse God. If she wasn’t going to Hell for having worked for the new Devil, she surely was going to be damned after that. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She diverted her thoughts from her possible eternal damnation to the angel she had just met. _Castiel_. The other angelic companion of the Winchester brothers, the younger sibling Gabriel had told her about. He wasn’t as she had pictured him. And yet he fitted what she had heard about him.

She looked down at her plate, without knowing what to do. Her first thought was to try to call the archangel again, to tell him that she had met his brother and that the guy really needed help, but she knew that she would receive no answer. The only thing she had left to do was to stick to her original plan and reach Singer’s house quickly. She would talk to the hunter and hoped that he would know what to do.

The thought seemed to give her more vitality and she took out her laptop from her bag. Time to get to work. She had a trip to plan. She took another piece of pasta and stuck it in her mouth. She needed to find the cheaper way to reach her destination, not only the quicker. She didn’t have much money with her. And in general. Working as an IT employee didn’t make you rich unfortunately. She almost missed having Crowley paying for all her travel needs. That had been quite convenient. But she would rather spend all her money if it meant not working for the demon who was planning to help a bunch of horrible creatures to turn the whole planet in their stash of fresh meat.

She frowned at that thought. The disappointment she felt towards the Devil was still there, hidden among all her current worries. They had been a good team and she would have lied if she had stated that she hadn’t considered his offer of becoming his second-in-command. It had been a sudden, unexpected thought that she had chased away immediately, reminding herself that it meant going to Hell and turning into something ugly, but the idea had crossed her mind. The truth was that she had started to like Crowley, not enough to throw away her soul for him, but enough to make her suffer for his betrayal. The hellish son of bitch. She was going to shower him with holy water the next time their paths would crossed, that was sure as his beloved Pit. And maybe she could shoot him too, just to ruin his damned fancy clothes. And slapped him too, for personal satisfaction. Then Gabriel could do the rest for her. She nodded to herself, looking down at her Hermione action figure. It was a very good plan.

 

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

All around him there was nothing but light and pure energy. It felt strange, after so many centuries spent living in a vessel, being able to spread his wings and to cross the limits of space and time as he used to do back then. The concrete reality he had been living seemed now squalid compared to the explosion of power that blossomed inside and around him. He had to admit to himself that he had missed it. The taste of eternity and the shining splendour of Heaven. He could feel it, even if he was still so far away from the place he had used to call “home”. And, like in the old times, he couldn’t help the wonder in front of one of his Father’s greatest creation. The old bastard knew what He was doing and had always been very good at it, there was no doubt.

Gabriel diverted his attention from those thoughts and focused on the on-going battle. Raphael was right in front of him, shining brighter than ever in his righteous wrath. He wanted to laugh. His older brother had always been so full of himself. They had never got along, not even before Lucifer’s Fall. They were too different and they always ended up fighting. At that time, he had found it amusing, but right now all he could see was the tragedy of his broken family. How had he ended up there, fighting his siblings not once but twice? He knew the answer very well. His reasons were three people. His reckless baby brother, who had had the guts to start a civil war to defend _free will_ of all things, and two damned humans, who seemed not to give a fuck about natural order, were to blame. And he had got stuck with them because he couldn’t fail his younger sibling again and because he had actually started to care about that little planet called Earth. His embarrassing crush on Sam Winchester was an additional reason too. He was screwed, it was undeniable.

He lifted his sword, showing his opponent that he had no intention to surrender. Raphael was older and more powerful than him, but he had challenged Lucifer, so there was nothing worse the other archangel could do to him. He briefly wondered if His Father would bring him back again if he died in that duel. God’s ways were really mysterious, even if he hated to hear that sentence. There was no way to predict His actions. He snorted, half amused and half exasperated. It wasn’t going to end well. Challenging Raphael had been a huge mistake. Maybe he was becoming suicidal as Castiel. Because there was no way that he could force himself to kill one of his brothers, asshole or not. That was his only certainty.


	20. XX.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings** : This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
> 
> **Disclaimer** : I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

The back-up evidence storage was a mess. It was full of dusty boxes and most of their tags had fallen off or were so old that it was almost impossible to read what had been written on them. Dean ran a hand on his face, looking around incredulous. Finding what they were looking for would take ages. Usual Winchester luck. Just great. He didn’t even know from where they should start looking. He felt the instinct to kick the rusty metal door he had just broken open.

Apparently that case was turning into a sequence of bad news. Gabriel had disappeared only-God-knew-where, _literally_ , and he had made a fool of himself by deciding to pray to Castiel, who, obviously, hadn’t answered. Moreover, while Sam was still out to grab their dinner, he had received a call from Bobby who had announced him that the Leviathans had taken Frank, which he had interpreted as “killed”. The older hunter had mumbled something about having a lead and had hung up before he could even think of asking a question about the whole situation. And, just to make the list of their misfortunes even longer, later that evening, they had found out that the dreadful night of the killings was due in two days. Which meant that, once they had got their hands on the fortune-teller’s belongings the next morning, they would have less than twenty-four hours to find what was murdering the people and stop it.

“We’re never going to make it in time. Not without some help,” the older Winchester groaned opening his arms and gesturing towards the boxes. He didn’t add that, if his brother and the damned archangel had waited a couple of days before having their first real lovers spat, they wouldn’t be in so much troubles, but it was clear that the thought had crossed both hunters’ head. “It will take us a whole _week_ to find that damned thing. And, by then, other three people will be dead and gone.”

“If we waste all our time complaining, that will happen for sure,” Sam pointed out, as he pulled out the EMF meter from his bag. “If what Ga…I mean, if what we know it’s true and there’s an object trapping the spirits in here, then we should be able to register very strong electromagnetic fields in the area where it is. We just have to hope that there aren’t other sources hidden among these boxes.” He bit his lip, ignoring the glare that his brother shot him when he refused to pronounce the archangel’s name. He was trying to focus on the hunt and, if he wanted to be able to work properly, nothing Gabriel-related had to cross his mind, not even the shorter man’s name.

He clear his throat before going on. “Come on. You can start from the last row on the left. I’m going right. We’ll meet in the centre. If you find something, call out, alright?” And he walked away without waiting for an answer. He wasn’t in the mood for any kind of comment, he just wanted to keep his mind and body busy.

Dean rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. If there was one thing he agreed on with his brother was that they didn’t have time to waste. Their fight would have to wait until the end of the case. He pulled out his own EMF meter and started to check his part of the room. A couple of times the device went crazy, raising his vain hopes, which got crushed every single time as he checked the concerned box. Inside he just found some old and rusty electric device that still held some electromagnetic charge.

At the tenth false alarm, the older Winchester lost his calm and he grabbed the box of evidences throwing it against the nearer wall, not caring about the mess it would make. He let out a frustrated groan. They should have renamed the building from “old evidence storage” to “fucking old dusty God-forgotten dump” because that was what the place was.

On his side, Sam wasn’t having much luck either. He had found his fair share of fake sources of electromagnetic fields, and he was starting to lose his hopes too. However, instead of smashing things as his brother seemed to be doing judging from the noises coming from the other side of the room, he went on looking, checking attentively each time his device revealed a new signal. Getting angry would lead him nowhere and one of them had to stay lucid.

With a sigh, he put away the umpteenth box that had left him empty-handed and started to walk again. Maybe Dean was right, in his none spoken words. If Gabriel had been there, finding what they were looking for would have been much easier. And if he hadn’t acted like a lovestruck teenage girl, because his brother had been right on that too, even if he would have never admitted that out aloud, probably the archangel would have still been there with them. The former Trickster had his part of fault in the whole mess, but Sam couldn’t help thinking that he shouldn’t have got involved with him in the first place. Maybe, if he had chosen the painful way to do the ritual, everything would have been less complicate. Or if he had stopped fooling around sooner and had given Gabriel the same talk Dean had given him. He sighed. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the power to change the past and so there was nothing he could do to fix that situation, not until the archangel decided to show up again.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the EMF meter. He looked down at the screen. The needle was oscillating incredibly quickly and the device seemed to have gone crazy. He frowned a bit and looked at the box in front of him, from which the strong energy seemed to come. The tag was unreadable, as most of the others, but someone had scribbled a note next to it. “ _Closed, 14 august 2007_ ”, it said. 2007, the year when the curse had started. It couldn’t be a coincidence. A small smile opened on his lips. Something told him that he had finally found what they had been looking for.

“Dean!” He called as he pulled the box out slowly and carefully. He opened it, revealing a few small plastic bags containing weird objects and three packs of tarot cards. The fortune-teller’s personal effects.

“Sam?” Dean’s voice called from behind him. He turned around just in time to see the older hunter turning the corner and quickly walking towards him. “You got it? Oh, thank God!”

Sam moved away a bit, to give his brother the space to kneel down next to him. The both stared at the contents of the box, not daring to pull anything out for some moment. For what they knew, there could have been other cursed objects in there and their experience with the rabbit foot had been more than enough. None of them was eager to get cursed, especially not while a bunch of ghosts was around murdering people.

Dean looked at his brother, who glanced back at him, his hazel eyes clearly stating that he had no intention of touching anything in that box. The older Winchester rolled his eyes and lifted his hands in surrender before starting to pull out the objects one by one, resting them on the floor side by side. Once he was done, he kicked the box away and looked at the small line he had created. Apart from the cards, there were a mortar, what looked like old animal bones, a book written in a language he didn’t know, a small rusty dagger, a necklace made of small silver pendants and a small rectangular piece of black wood, on which were carved and painted some symbols. He lifted the latter and held it close to his face to be able to see what was written on it.

“It must be the talisman the children mentioned,” the younger Winchester said, holding out a hand to take the object. He studied the symbols for some moments. “They look like runes. But I’m not sure. I need to do some researches…But look.” He pointed one of the small painted letters, which seemed to be missing a part. “Someone has scratched the paint away, most likely during the checks the evidences underwent before being moved in here. There’s a date written on the box. 14 August 2007. The year of the first killings. The officer who has been given the task to revise the case before sending the evidences to this storage must have broken the protection circle by mistake, and thus freed the ghosts. This explains why the murders started that year.”

“If that guy is still alive, I’ll be sure to give him a nice lesson about carefulness on the workplace,” Dean commented, with a snort. At times he couldn’t believe how many consequences a simple distraction could have and he wondered if things would be different if people knew what they risked when they played with symbols that were considered simple superstitions. Maybe that kind of accidents wouldn’t happen anymore. However, revealing the existence of the supernatural would mean creating a crisis of panic and hysteria, and who knew what could happen after that. It wasn’t really worth the risk. “If he had looked at what he was doing those people would still be alive. Damned idiot.” He threw the talisman back at the younger hunter and stood up. “Come on, let’s get out of this dump and head back to the motel. We don’t have much time to find out how to get rid of the curse before a bunch of angry ghosts comes to knock at our door.”

Sam nodded and got on his feet in turn, following his sibling out of the storage. It was already eleven in the morning, and they still needed to do most of the work. He hoped that the solution wouldn’t be too hard to find or they would have risked not making it on time. He looked down at the amulet he was holding, focusing his attention on the central rune. He had already seen it somewhere, maybe while he was looking up things for another case. The problem was that they had been hunting for years and he had researched so many symbols that he had no idea of where and when he had seen it. He sighed. He would have to start anew.

 

In the end, finding the rune didn’t turn out to be difficult. It was written in the first image that Sam found after typing “runes” in the browser search engine. The symbol was the rune named “Uruz”, which in the ancient Nordic language meant “strength of will”. The hard part came when he had to identify which Pagan god was associated to it. Each website he visited gave him different names, and among them the most recurring ones were Loki and Odin. However, he was sure that none of them was connected to the curse they were trying to undo. It couldn’t be Loki, considering that he was Gabriel and because he knew that rune associated with the God of Mischief was another one. To be sure that he could rule out the second name, instead, he had to dig around a bit, until he found out that Odin was related to most runes, but that his main one was “Ansuz”. He also found references to Thor while he going through the different websites, but even that lead turned out to be a dead end.

He ran a hand in his hair and shot a glance at the clock, realising that almost two hours had already passed since when he had started surfing the net. He looked up towards the twin beds to see that Dean was still absorbed in the book he had given him. It was one of the many volumes on Nordic mythology he had found in the various libraries they had visited during their cases. He should have returned it a long time ago, but, after using it for pagan god, he had forgotten it in his bag and had never had the occasion to give it back. He doubted that someone had noticed that it was missing, but he still didn’t like stealing from public libraries. Now, however, he was glad to have it with him. Not because it could turn out to be useful for the case, but more because it would keep Dean busy for a while.

The older hunter had paced restlessly around the room for a good half an hour, not knowing what to do since researches weren’t exactly his thing, and then he had started to curse every pagan god he could think of, reciting a long and unspeakable string of insults when he had arrived to Loki’s name. Sam had been greatly disturbed both by his brother’s voice and also by the subject of his cursing, and throwing him the book had been the only strategy that had come to his mind to silence the other.

Incredibly, Dean had even accepted the task without complaining too much for his standards. He had started to read the part of the book about “Uruz”, just to inform Sam, about ten minutes later that what was said was, in his opinion, just a “huge amount of shit”. However, instead of putting the volume down and resuming his previous activity, he had gone back to the first page and had started to read the book from the start.

Sam had raised an eyebrow at that, wondering for a moment if he should check his brother’s mental health, but in the end he had decided against it. They had more urgent things to worry about and, besides, until the volume kept the other Winchester quiet and busy, he wouldn’t ask any question.

“Hey, Sammy,” Dean said in that moment, breaking the trail of his thoughts and making him look up from the screen one again. “Listen to this…” He rested a finger on the page he had been checking and started to read: “Vidar is a god among the Aesirs associated with vengeance. He was the son of Odin and the giantess Gridr…Blah, blah…Almost as strong as Thor…Add another bunch of useless shit…Oh, here! He is associated with practical wisdom and with regaining order and supremacy. His major deed in the mythology is to avenge his father’s death during Ragnarök by slaying the wolf Fenrir. Vidar is one of the few gods to survive the Nordic Apocalypse, after which he is destined to rule the new world for all eternity.” He raised his eyes. “Could it be him? He’s the Nordic god of revenge and justice. Our fortune-teller needed a spell to get his payback for having been wronged. This guy seemed the perfect person for that kind of things. I’d turn to someone like that, if I was an idiot who plays with black magic.”

“Vidar?” Sam repeated slowly and typed it down in the search engine. He went quickly through a couple of pages. “He seemed to be not really known, despite the huge role he was given in the myths. Considering that the other god associated to revenge was Tyr, and he isn’t linked to our rune, yours could be a good guess,” he mumbled as he read the titles of the results he had got. He added the name of the rune in the key words and hit the enter key. “Give me a minute.”

The older hunter nodded and went back to his book. At first, once he had checked the section that interested them, he had thought about throwing it away, but in the end he had decided that he could put some efforts in the researching part for once, especially since the alternative was going on accumulating frustration. When he had started to read, something unexpected had happened: he had found out that the book was interesting, despite the subject. It was well written and he had found several fun anecdotes. He had kept on reading, almost without realising it, until he had run into the part about Vidar. The words had seemed to match with the description of what they were looking for and so he had gone through it with more attention, feeling somehow sure that he had found something useful. Hunter’s instinct. Or maybe just a lucky guess. He didn’t care. What mattered was that it was right, whatever it was.

“Did you find anything?” He asked after some minutes, playing with the pages. Having a lead had raised his levels of adrenaline and he couldn’t help to get some action. He needed a proper distraction and a hand-to-hand fight sounded awesome in that moment.

The younger Winchester shot him a glare. “No, because you haven’t given me the time to find it,” he answered, a bit exasperated. “Can you just be quiet for ten minutes and let me do my job? It will take me forever if you keep interrupting me. And we don’t have all that time.”

“Touchy…” Dean muttered under his breath, but remained silent, waiting for his brother to finish. They didn’t have time for one of their siblings’ spats in that moment, so he bit back the series of comments that had come to his lips and let himself fall down on the mattress, locking his eyes on the white ceiling. For the first time in weeks, his mind was empty. The tempest that had occupied it since the discovery of Castiel’s betrayal was gone, but he wasn’t sure that it was good news. To him it looked too much like the dead calm before an even greater storm.

“Found it,” Sam’s voice called, snapping him out of his thoughts. The younger hunter turned the screen of his laptop towards the beds, pointing something on the screen. “Apparently your hunch was right. The rune on the amulet _is_ associated with Vidar. We can conclude that he is our god. Now we just have one problem left.”

“Of course it’s right. It comes from me,” Dean tried to joke, but his voice didn’t sound as playful as he had wanted it to be. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, finding out how to stop the murderous circus once and for all. What if we destroyed that damned thing? It should work. After all ghosts usually disappear if the object they’re linked to is destroyed.”

“I was thinking about it, but I’m afraid that it won’t be so easy,” Sam sighed, shaking his head. “We aren’t dealing only with vengeful spirits here. Our main problem is the black magic. And that kind of spells isn’t easy to remove. Usually it takes some sort of ritual to do that but…I need to do more researches. I’ll call Bobby, maybe he knows how to deal with it.”

The older hunter rolled his eyes. “Great, more time that goes to waste!” He commented, crossing his arms. “What am I supposed to do while you play your nerdy tricks? We’ve got just one computer and the library of this cursed town is closed.”

The younger Winchester lifted his eyes and threw him his mobile phone. “You could call Bobby, since I’m going to be busy for a while. And you could call also some of our other contacts. Someone must know how to get rid of this spell,” he answered in a firm tone, before turning his back to his sibling and focusing his attention again on his laptop. “Oh, and you could buy us something to eat. This way you won’t complain about the fact that I’ve forgotten your precious pie. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?”

“Whatever, Sam.” Dean mumbled, getting up. He slipped his phone in his pocket and grabbed his leader jacket together with the key of the Impala. “I’ll see you in a few,” he said, before heading out, receiving a distracted wave as an answer.

He sighed and closed the door behind him, starting to walk along the corridor. Sam’s idea wasn’t that bad. Those tasks would keep him busy for a while and that was what he wanted. The real problem was that he wasn’t in the mood to interact with people. He would have almost preferred staying in the room and surfing the net for information and letting his brother doing the calling. Not that he was going to admit it. No one had to be able to say that he would have chosen researches over going for a ride with his Baby. It would ruin his reputation.

 

The afternoon was uneventful for the Winchesters. Sam spent all the time consulting websites and going through their father’s diary, without finding anything relevant, while Dean, after coming back with their lunch, called all the hunters they knew, asking for help and information. However, no one seemed to have ever heard of that particular kind of spell and most of the answers he received underlined the fact that they could do nothing without knowing what kind of ritual the fortune-teller had used to curse his former circus fellows. His conversation with Bobby in particular was oddly short, since the old man had closed the phone in his face as soon as he had got the basics of what the two of them needed. Dean had shrugged, not giving importance to it. After all their friend had to be busy following whatever lead he had got on the Leviathans, so he decided not to disturb him again.

The sky was getting dark when Sam finally removed his eyes from the screen and ran a hand in his hair, with a defeated sigh. “Damn,” he cursed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. The only thing he had got out of all that searching was an annoying headache, which didn’t exactly encourage him to keep going. He glanced out of the window, frowning as he realised that their time was almost over, and then turned to look at his brother, who was on the phone with only-God-knew-who. “Any luck?” He asked when the other finally closed the call.

“Not in a thousand years,” the older hunter answered, mumbling a curse under his breath. “But this case will cost us a lot in terms of phone bills, that’s sure.” He played with his mobile and glanced at the darkening sky in turn. “Damn. I have no intention of coming back here in six months to get another chance to fix this mess. Assuming that we’ll be still alive by then, with angels and Leviathans planning to conquer the Earth.”

The younger Winchester opened his mouth to answer, but in that moment the phone started to ring again and Dean lifted a hand, telling his brother to wait, while he grabbed the mobile and answered. Maybe they would get lucky again.

“Hello? Ah, Bobby. Sure, do tell. We’re pretty hopeless right now.” He kept nodding and making affirmative sounds as the older hunter talked from the other end of the lines. “Yeah, got it. That’s great. Thanks, old man. I’ll call you once we’ll be done here. Yeah. ‘Course.” He closed the call and offered his younger sibling a satisfied smile. “Bobby found out how to break the spell.”

Sam looked relieved and smiled back a bit. “Just in time…” He commented nodding towards the window. “I wonder how we’d do without him. What did he say?”

“Apparently we need to perform a purification ritual on the amulet to destroy the spell,” Dean answered crossing his arms, his eyes touching the talisman that was still on the desk where they had left it that morning. “Fire was the most common method the Vikings used for those rituals, so it’s not hard. You write the rune “Kanez”, or whatever the name is, on the amulet and then burn it. The only thing is that we must perform it when the spell is activated and in the place where the spirits gathered. In few words, we have to go to the circus tonight and burn the amulet during the show.” He scoffed rolling his eyes. “Easy, isn’t it? We just need to worry about a bunch of murderous ghosts!”

The younger hunter ignored the sarcasm in his brother’s words, deciding that it wasn’t worth his breath and instead nodded. “ _Kaunaz_ , Dean. It’s the rune for the word “fire”,” he corrected in a patient tone. “Anyway, let’s pack up salt and iron then.” He pulled out a small knife and grabbed the amulet. He carefully carved the required symbol on the back of the wooden surface and then rested it once again on the desk. “We’ll have plenty to do tonight. Any idea of at what time the curse started?”

“No idea. That idiotic archangel didn’t mention it. I have the feeling that he didn’t even think about asking,” the older Winchester said with a small shrug. He decided not to dwell too much on the fact because he needed Sam to stay focus on their case, and he wasn’t in the mood to discuss crushes and heavenly messes in that moment. The army of ghosts they would have to face was worrisome enough for him. There was no need to add more concern and stressing matters on their shoulders for the moment. “But it should be at late night. The ghosts have to choose and collect their victims first. Maybe a bit before midnight. We could go there around eleven and hide in the woods. Something will eventually happen.”

“Great…” Sam sighed, trying not to frown at the mention of Gabriel. He had more important worries to deal with, he couldn’t waste his time thinking about the childish idiot. “I guess we don’t have another choice. Go take a bit of petrol from the car. That way the wood will burn more quickly. I’ll start checking the weapons.”

He got a nod as an answer and a moment later he was once again alone in the room. He sighed again and got up, stretching his legs a bit before lifting the bag where they kept their weaponry. He pulled out the modified shotguns and started to check if they had enough salt bullets. They usually had to deal with a single ghost, which didn’t take more than a couple of magazines, but this time there would be at least ten of them, so munitions were fundamental for their survival. If they ran out of bullets, they would be screwed. A metal bar was useful, but didn’t help keeping the ghosts far enough from your body.

 

The knock on the door caught them off guard. The last thing they were expecting was someone coming to visit them as they were about to leave the motel. The brothers exchanged glances and Sam nodded towards the door. It surely wasn’t a ghost, because spirits didn’t need to knock on doors to get in. Nor did any other supernatural creature with evil intention they had met until that moment. They didn’t know about Leviathans, but it was unlikely that they would knock before attacking their preys.

Dean carefully approached the handle and turned it, cracking the door a bit, enough to be able to see what was outside, pressing himself against the wall next to the jamb. At first he didn’t see anything, but then, as he lowered his eyes, he found a small child with dark blonde hair and eyes full of tears right in front him. He blinked for a moment, surprised by the sight, before opening a bit more, still suspicious.

“Are you Gabriel’s friend?” The child asked, her voice shaking and broken. “He told me and my brother to come here if we had problems. They took Tyler, the bad spirits took him for the Night! You have to help him!”

Sam appeared next to his brother and pushed the other away, to let the girl in the room. “You are Margot, aren’t you?” He asked gently, bending a bit to be able to look at the child’s face. “You and your brother told Gabriel about the circus, didn’t you?”

Margot nodded, but she didn’t speak, seeming on the verge of tears once again. She was clearly scared and helpless. She didn’t want her sibling to end up like their mother. If he did, she would be left alone in the world, with no one who could take care of her.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get your brother back,” Dean tried to reassure her, turning to look at Sam. They had to go, if the ghosts had already picked their victims, it meant that they would soon start killing them. “But you need to stay here and hide, alright? You can’t come, don’t even think about asking. It’s too dangerous. And your brother would get very mad at us if he found out that we have put you in danger. That’s how big brothers are, don’t you agree?”

The girl nodded again even if reluctantly. “But you will save him, won’t you?” She pressed again with force, grabbing the older hunter’s arm. “You promise? Gabriel promised us that you would stop the murders. And angels don’t lie!”

The Winchesters exchanged a glance at the last sentence. If that had been true, they would have had much less problems during the previous years. Instead the angels were very good liars and they had been played by them more than once, with terrible consequences.

“Don’t worry, Margot, we will. I swear,” Dean agreed, freeing himself from the girl’s grip. He pushed her towards his bed. “But now we had to go, we have to kick those bad guys’ asses. Promise me that you won’t leave this room until we’re back.”

She nodded and slowly sat on the bed, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly. “Come back soon,” she whispered as she watched them leaving.

The older hunter waved at her and then gestured to his brother to hurry up. They locked the room door and walked quickly towards the parking lot. The Impala was already ready to leave and their weapons were on the back seat.

Dean started the engine and he drove the car on the road, his fingers gripping tightly at the wheel. He didn’t like it when children got involved. It wasn’t fair that their lives got ruined when they were so young. He knew what it meant finding out that you could never be safe, not even in your house, because all the kinds of monsters waited in the dark of every night. It forced you to grow up too quickly, even if not as much as he and Sam had to. That was why he had tried in any way to delay as much as possible the moment when his younger sibling would find out the truth about their father’s job, even if it had caused them to fight harshly. He had wanted to preserve his innocence and naivety as he would have liked to do with Margot and his brother. But now it was too late, for them all. He and Sam had been damned to live their existences as hunters until the end of their days, and those kids would never be able to close their eyes again without fearing to see something in the shadows around them. It wasn’t really fair. And yet he couldn’t feel anything but an angry resignation. He had learnt long ago that life wasn’t fair, for anyone, and the only thing you could do was fighting to build your one small corner, hoping that you would be strong enough to survive the difficulties you would have to face.

Sam shot him a concerned look, but decided not to comment. He could guess what thoughts were crossing his brother’s mind and he knew better than trying to interrupt his reflections. He felt the same, even if he was trying not to think about it, choosing to focus instead on the amulet he was holding and on what they would need to do. He didn’t exactly know what to expect once they would get to the old field since no one had ever come back to tell the story, but he was sure of something: they would need to be quick and careful. If they managed to free the victims and avoid the fight with the ghosts, it would be better for everyone. However, his instinct told him that he was being too optimistic. Things would be much more complicate than that. They always were.


	21. XXI.

The night was quiet, maybe a bit too much. The rumble of the engine echoed deafening in the silence as the low chant of a bad omen. The streets were completely dark, since the town inhabitants apparently switched all the lights off on the Nights. Dean drove, keeping his eyes on the road, while Sam distractedly played with the amulet. They were both unnaturally nervous, for some unknown reason. They had faced the Apocalypse and the Devil himself, so some murderous ghosts should be ordinarily administration. And yet, maybe due to the current situation they were in, with the Leviathans running free on Earth and an archangel threatening to bring the End back on the world, even a normal job like that one made their inner tension rise enough to disturb their thoughts and mood.

They parked a bit away from the fields, not to risk alarming the ghosts. The first thing they needed to do was freeing the hostages, so that then they could fight without needing to worry about their safety. The area surrounding the open space was dark and quiet as the rest, but as they got closer to it some sounds started to be heard. Faint voices, creepy laughs and the typical music that accompanied the circus performances.  The two hunters shared a glance and approached the gravel square, trying not to make the withered leaves and branches beneath their free rustle too much. In that lack of sounds, the faintest noise echoed in their ears like a nasty burst.

When they finally reached their destination, the scene that presented before their eyes was at the same time terrible and amazing, in his disquieting way. From the ground, which used to be just an empty space covered with weed and rotten soil, now raised a spectral big top, which moved slightly as if it was being push by a light breeze. The cloth of the tent was the classic one, with red and white strips, but it was torn in many points and wore the sign of the fire that had killed its performers more than fifty years before. All around it there were destroyed caravans and empty rusty metal cages.

When they reached the tent, Dean gestured Sam to split up and search each side of the big top for the hostages separately. The younger hunter nodded and headed along his own direction. He rested a hand against the cloth and couldn’t help his surprise as he realised how _real_ it felt to the touch. He knew that he shouldn’t be amazed by that kind of things after all the weird he had seen during the years spent as a hunter, but at times they just caught him off guard. He shook his head and forced himself to focus once again on his task. He didn’t even bother to pull out his EMF meter, since he was sure that the tool would go crazy considering the huge amount of radiation that there had to be in that place, and instead he wrapped his fingers more firmly around the amulet. The sooner they found the kidnapped the sooner they would able to delete that horror show from the face of earth. He just hoped that he didn’t run in a ghost clown while he was still working on it. He shivered slightly at the thought. That would be a real problem.

After some metres, he found a cut in the cloth which was big enough to allow him to get in. He looked around, making sure that there was no ghost around, before slipping inside. The space under the big top wasn’t much different from the outside. Everything was half burnt or destroyed and yet stable enough not to collapse, despite it looked like it was about to vanish into dust in every moment. He had to have ended up in the back stage, considering the fact that the stage wasn’t visible and all around him there were what looked the tools and the objects that the performers used for their shows. He walked around a bit, studying the piles of objects and rummaging among them. Among the old and half destroyed ones, he found many knives and torture tools that looked awfully new and sharp, with something that looked like dried blood all on them. He frowned as he put down a knife. Apparently the ghosts still did their performances, only that now they were no longer creepy yet spectacular shows, but real torture sessions involving their forced audience. He could imagine far too many things that could be done with all that weaponry. The victims had to have had a taste of Hell before being killed.

A sudden rustle broke the trail of his dark thoughts and he turned around, ready to shoot at whatever had moved. However, he found nothing behind him. The backstage was empty and silent as when he had entered. Then the sound came again. He looked around carefully, trying to spot the source of the noise. Something was moving from behind some heavy curtains on his right. The hunter stepped slowly towards it, stretching a hand and grabbing the cloth. He pulled it with a sudden gesture, aiming his shotgun towards whatever was hiding behind it, and he found himself staring at three people, two women and a child, who was probably Margot’s brother, tied up with ropes and gagged with dirty handkerchiefs.

Sam let out the breath he had been holding and lowered his weapon. He had found the hostages. That was good news. “I’m here to help,” he said, as he studied the cages where the three were trapped, looking for the locks. “I’ll free you in a moment.” He pulled out his picklock and knelt down next to Tyler’s cage.

The boy started to fidget, making noises as if he was trying to talk through the gag, but without succeeding since the cloth was tied to tightly around his mouth. The younger Winchester looked up at him. “Tyler, calm down. Your sister sent us. I’m Gabriel’s friend,” he said in a low voice, trying to calm him down, but without success. The child made an even louder noise in warning and nodded towards something behind Sam’s shoulders.

The hunter got the massage this time, but before he could turn around something hit him hard on the back of his head, sending him against the cage bars. Sam let out a gasp, as the pain spread through his body. He tried to fight it, but soon his vision blurred and, when a second hit came, everything around him became black.

 

Dean walked slowly along the tent, trying not to make any noise. He almost tripped a couple of times on a rope hidden among the gravel, but he caught himself before he could bump into something and make a hell of a noise. That place was giving him chills. He liked the circus, he had always had, since when he was a child, but not when it was run by a bunch of vengeful spirits. He liked magic tricks, especially when he knew that the person in front of him wasn’t a real witch, and also the amazing performance of the trapeze artists. Not to mention that usually the female performers were damned hot. An appreciative expression appeared on his face as he remembered a particular contortionist he had met when he was sixteen. He had lost the count of how many wet dreams he had had about her and her impossible positions.

He shook his head and pulled out his knife, cutting the cloth to be able to see inside the big top. He moved the hem a bit and peered in. He was on one side of the orchestra, not too far from where the stage was. The seats that had survived the fire were burnt and missed pieces as all the rest, but the stage was incredibly intact, if one didn’t considered the large blood stains that marked its surface. The victims had to be killed there, most like during the performances. He made a face at that. It was really the “Circus of Horrors” now.

The older Winchester moved his eyes around, trying to spot the ghosts. He was sure that they had to be somewhere around there, assuming that they were making themselves visible. He checked his clock. It was almost midnight, which meant that the show would be starting very soon. He hoped that Sam had found the hostages because they didn’t have much time left.

He made to retrieve from the tear he had made in the cloth when a movement caught his attention. The curtain that covered the main entranced suddenly moved and four figures stepped in. The first was a woman who had to have been gorgeous but whose face and part of the skull were now covered with the horrible scars left by the fire. Her tight black dress was ripped and dirty and the left side of her head was hairless. Her high heeled boots clicked on the floor as she went down the stairs, followed by three men who weren’t in much better conditions. One of them was missing an arm and the skin of another was so burned that the bones were visible on his face and chest. The third didn’t have huge scars or burns, but was covered in dust and had a girder stuck in the middle of his chest.

Dean winced at the vision. “That’s the “Dawn of the Dead” circus version,” he commented to himself, moving away from the tent. He had better go and find Sam before the woman and her bodyguards grabbed the hostages and started their bloody show. “But the special effects were better in the movie.”

However, before he could get up, he felt something grabbing him from the back of his T-shirt and throwing him in the air. He landed hard against one of the old cages, the rusty bars breaking under the violence of the impact and cutting in his skin. The hunter groaned in pain, but managed to stand again, shooting in the direction where his aggressor should be. The ghost disappeared with a scream as the salt bullet hit him, but other two immediately took his place. The older Winchester aimed and shot one, but the second disappeared in thin air just to materialise behind him, throwing him on the ground once again. The impact made him lose the grip on his shotgun and one moment later the spirit was on him, his cold fingers wrapping around his throat. Dean tried to hit him and struggled hard, but the grip that was holding him down was too firm. The smell of burnt rotting flesh filled his nostrils as he fought to breath and the last thing he saw before he passed out was the horrible smirk of the ghost, made of brown, cracked teeth and bones. Then everything around him faded away together with his consciousness.

 

“Dean,” a faint familiar voice called in the darkness, stirring the fog that was enveloping him as a thick curtain. “Dean!”

Dean tried to open his eyes, but found out that he couldn’t either see or move. His neck and throat hurt like hell and he couldn’t remember where he was and what he was doing. There was something hard under him and he had the feeling of being seated, but he would be able to say it with certainty. “Cas?” He mumbled, puzzled. It couldn’t be the angel, he was sure of that, even if he couldn’t remember why.

“Dean, dammit!” The voice called again, a bit louder. “Wake up, man! This isn’t the right time for a nap. We are in troubles.”

The older hunter blinked, his vision finally clearing. He turned towards his side, from where the voice came, and found himself staring at a very concerned Sam. “Sammy?” He blurted out, confused. Then the memories hit him. Castiel, the Leviathans, Gabriel, the hunt, the ghosts attacking him. He cursed heavily under his breath and looked at the other hunter. His brother had some dried blood on his neck and hair, but for the rest he seemed fine, apart from the fact that they were both tied up to some of the audience seats along with the rest of the hostages.

“Thank God, you’re awake,” Sam breathed out in relief, taking a deep breath. “I thought you’d never wake up. How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. But I’m managing,” Dean answered struggling with the ropes that were tying his wrists. The knots were tight, but the ropes were old and he could have easily broken them if he found something that could cut them. “I’m not dead. _Yet_. Because I’m afraid that we all will be soon if we don’t find a way to free ourselves.”

The younger Winchester opened his mouth to answer, but in that moment the curtain was lifted and the woman in black Dean had seen before being assaulted stepped on the stage. She was now wearing a crown of withered flowers on her head and her dead eyes immediately fell on the five tied humans. “Welcome, dear audience, to this place of wonder and fear! Tonight we will offer you a show to die for!” She let out a disquieting laugh and opened her arms. “Tonight, with your help, I will guide you through a show worth of being remembered for many years from now on. And, as you can see, we have also two special guests.” Her gaze stopped on the two hunters and her creepy grin widened even more, showing more rotting teeth. “Now, let me introduce our first artist, the incredible woman who, in an age dominated by men, had the courage to learn a number that was usually reserved to male performers only. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Frau Nacht, our knives master!”

The announcer stepped aside and clapped her hands as another ghostly figure emerged from behind the curtain. A cascade of what once had to have been gorgeous red hair, now reduced to sporadic locks of ruined threads, fell from her head and what once was a leather suit now was almost completely fused with the skin underneath. One of the woman’s eyes was gone, replaced by a black hole, and the other had a shockingly blue iris in the middle of the yellow cornea. She was holding many throwing-knives in both her hands and she lifted them, as to show them to the audience, as she walked slowly towards the border of the stage. She stretched her left arm, which was almost nothing but burnt bone, and pointed someone among the five humans.

Sam gulped. Why did they have always to start from him when it came to be tortured or shoved around? Next to him, Dean shot him a worried glance and started once again to rub the rope that bond his wrists against the broken wood of his seat. He needed to hurry or his sibling would end up looking more like a colander than a human being.

“Oh, Frau Nacht has chosen her volunteer!” The announcer exclaimed sounding excited. “Please, Sam, join us on the stage. And applause for our brave hunter!” She clapped her hands twice and two of the three men that had led her to the stage before the show came out of nowhere and lifted Sam, carrying him straight to her. She smirked, grabbing the hunter’s chin as he struggled in vain against the ghosts iron grip. “Oh, no need to be nervous. We are professional. Your death will be as slow and spectacular as we want. You can be sure of that!” She looked at the two men and commanded: “Tie him to the wheel.”

“Sam!” Dean called out, struggling with his restrains. He was almost there, just some more moments. He looked around, trying to spot something that could be useful against the ghosts since the bastards had taken their shotguns away. His eyes fell on a rusty bar of what looked like iron. It wasn’t much but it would do.

“Don’t get so worked up, Dean,” the announcer called in that moment, amused by his apparently vain attempts to break free. “You turn will come too. Now sit tight and enjoy the show. And be prepared, because Sam will be just a small bite of what is waiting for you all!”

In the meanwhile, the two men had tied the younger hunter’s wrist and ankle to an old wooden wheel. He tried to pull the restrains, but obtained only to scratch his skin. He let out a growl of frustration. If Dean didn’t do something soon, he would become the dead plaything of the knives thrower. The latter bowed to her audience before walking towards her prey. She ran lightly a sharp blade on Sam’s cheek, making it bleed and showing that way how sharp her knives were, and then walked away from the wheel, going to stand on the other side of the stage. She nodded once with her head and the two men made the wooden structure starting to rotate slowly at first and then a bit faster. Nacht closed her eyes and quickly threw the first ten knives.

A gasp came from the three hostages and even Dean stopped for a moment what he was doing, freezing on the spot. It couldn’t be too late, he couldn’t have let Sam go in that way. It was too stupid, too simple. All the eyes remained focused on the wheel that slowed down gradually until it stopped completely.

Sam cracked his eyes open, incredulous. He was still alive and, for what he knew, he wasn’t badly hurt either. He looked at his body quickly, checking the damages. Two knives where at each side of his face, other four under his arms, two next to his hips and the last two where next to his inner tights. Each blade had caught the cloths of his clothes, scratching his skin deep enough to make it bleed lightly but nothing more. The younger hunter let out the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He had really thought that his time had come. However, his relief disappeared as soon as he saw Nacht extending her hand and receiving other ten knives. He should have expected that she wasn’t done with him.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, our Frau Nacht will hit specific vessels in our volunteer’s body, guaranteeing for him a slow death by blood loss!” The announcer spoke again, her tone getting higher with enthusiasm. “Be ready for a river of blood, lovely guests!”

Dean’s breath, which had got back to normal when he had seen that his brother was still alive and well, hitched again at her words. He struggled with the ropes with even more force, finally managing to break them, and jumped on his feet, reaching out for the iron bar. “Sam!” He yelled, almost desperate, as he ran towards the knives thrower.

However, before he could reach the stage, the two men were on him. He managed to hit one with his improvised weapon, but the other grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him against one of the pillars that kept the big top standing. Nacht watched the scene for a moment, before focusing her only eye on Sam once again. She took her aim with calm and threw her first knife, aiming for the hunter’s left shoulder.

The younger Winchester, who had started to struggle hard once again against the ropes when he had seen his brother breaking free, stopped as he saw the movement of her wrist. He instinctively closed his eyes, expecting to feel the blade penetrating his skin, but the pain never came. Confused, he slowly lifted his eyelids, finding out that someone had caught the knife before it could hit his target and was now holding it at some centimetres away from his shoulder. He looked down at the newcomer and his green eyes met shining golden ones.

“Aye, kiddo!” Gabriel greeted cheerfully before throwing the blade back at its owner. He hit Nacht exactly in the middle of her chest and snapped his fingers. The ghost exploded before Sam’s eyes with a deafening scream.

“Ga…Gabriel,” the younger Winchester stuttered, too surprised to be able to speak, as with another snap of fingers the ropes that were tightening him to the wheel loosened up, allowing him to free himself. “You…You’re back.”

The archangel shrugged. “So it seems” he said, nonchalantly. “But let’s leave the girl talk for later, shall we? Now we are a little busy, don’t you think? You got the amulet?”

Sam nodded, still shocked by the shorter man’s sudden appearance, and started to rummage in his own pockets, looking for the cursed object. In that moment, Dean joined them on stage, panting and with a bleeding arm. He had managed to get temporally rid of the other ghost who had tried to stop him, but others had come out as soon as he had managed to hit the bastard with his iron bar. They were now surrounded by what had to be the whole crew of performers, all half burnt and clearly very angered by the fact that they had ruined their show.

“Son of a bitch!” The older hunter exclaimed, shoving the archangel’s shoulder slightly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m glad to see you. Awesome timing, man, really. Awesome!”

“Oh, Dean, I was sure that you liked me deep down!” Gabriel answered sarcastically. He waved his hand and the Winchesters’ shotguns appeared out of nowhere. He handed one to the Dean and let the other fall on the floor. He didn’t need one, obviously. “I’d kiss you, but your brother might get jealous. So, while Sammy plays his magic with that thing, we need to keep these rotten spirits out of the way.”

“I’m with you,” the older Winchester nodded with determination, shooting one of the ghosts who had tried to reach out for him. “Just, Sammy…Hurry the fuck up!”

Sam nodded and pulled out the amulet and his lighter. Even with Gabriel’s help, keeping at distance almost twenty vengeful spirits wouldn’t easy, so he needed to complete the purification ritual quickly. He poured some petrol on the object and lit it up, holding it from the lace that was attached to it and mumbling the few old words that Bobby had texted them that afternoon. The flames around the amulet turned blue as soon as he was down pronouncing the spell and all the spirits froze where they were, their face contracting in a grimace of pure agony. Then, one by one, they caught fire with a piercing scream, exploding. The big top started to tremble, as if a earthquake was making it shake, and then collapsed, disappearing in thin air before it could touch the soil.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance and lowered their weapons. The field around them was quiet and empty once again. The whole structure was gone and the only ones there were the three of them and the hostages. The older Winchester allowed himself a big grin, which was immediately copied by his brother, and let out a loud breath. “Fuck. I really thought we were going to end bloody this time,” he commented, his voice full of relief. He grasped his sibling’s shoulder and squeezed it. “And not even because of a fucking Leviathan!”

“Yeah,” the younger hunter agreed with a nod, running a hand in his hair. “I really thought I would end up bleeding to death.” He turned his attention to the other three humans, who looked still in shock but fine for the rest. “You guys okay?” he asked, getting some shaky nods as an answer. It would take them some time to recover, but they would be good. They had survived after all, which was already a good result.

“Sorry to interrupt your celebration, kids, but here we might have a little problem,” Gabriel’s voice called from behind the brothers’ back, making them turning immediately around. The archangel was pressing a hand on his shoulder, from where the blood came out freely together with a blinding light. They hadn’t noticed when he had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the show, but he looked much paler than he should have been and not well at all. Apart from the shoulder, he had cuts everywhere on his body and his clothes were torn and bloody.

“Gabriel!” Sam exclaimed, incredulous and worried, and grabbed the angel right before he could collapse on the floor. “What in hell happened to you?!”

“What…What in _Heaven_ you mean,” Gabriel corrected him with a chuckle, but he had to stop laughing soon because it hurt it far too much for his liking. “That’s what happened when you challenge Raphael and you are everything but ready to kill him. He was determined to destroy me, while I couldn’t even think about killing him. I don’t know what I was thinking. Well perhaps I wasn’t thinking at all.” He pressed his hand harder on the wound on his shoulder. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to fly to your motel room and pass out. See you in a bit, kids.” And he was gone before one of the hunters could do or say anything.

Dean looked at Sam who was wearing a very concerned frown and sighed. “Listen, let’s do this,” he said, after a moment that he took for thinking about what he should do. “We pick up the guys here and I drive you back to the motel. I need to stop there for the little girl anyway. I drop you off and you stay with our wounded soldier while I play the taxi driver for the asses we’ve just saved. How does it sound?”

Sam took in a deep breath and then nodded. “Like a good plan, a very good plan,” he answered, biting his bottom lip lightly. “Let’s do it, then. Also because I don’t want Margot to get scared to death by learning that angels can _die._ ”

He closed his eyes for a moment as soon as he had said those words. He didn’t even want to think that Gabriel could end up dead. Not when it was partially his fault. He had been an idiot and the archangel had got upset, so much that he had decided to go and face one of their enemies alone, when he knew exactly that he couldn’t fight with him. It was a miracle that he had managed to escape with his life, even if in a very bad state. It should have never happened. Not to that particular angel, and not _again_.

He breathed out slowly a couple of time as he helped Dean leading the survivors towards the place where they had left the Impala. He needed to calm down. Gabriel would be fine because he was a damned Trickster and an archangel with a mission. He wouldn’t dare to die before making sure that Castiel was safe and happy. And he hoped that he wouldn’t even after that. He would really want for him to stay with them, become part of their weird and dysfunctional family. After all, he had all the right requirements. And, egoistically, Sam wanted him to stay for him too. Because now, even if he would never really admit it aloud and clear, his older brother wasn’t the only one who share a “more profound bond” with an angelic being.

                                                                              

**ж ж ж ж ж**

 

Charlie sighed as she got off the bus that had led her to a small, isolated town in the middle of nowhere. Apparently it was a forced stop on her route if she wanted to avoid the most populated areas. She didn’t want to risk running into a Leviathan. She could somewhat deal with demons, just in case Crowley had changed his mind and had sent someone after her, but she didn’t want anything to do with the creatures from Purgatory. Not for the moment, at least.

She sighed as she walked along the deserted streets. The night had already started to fall and she wasn’t surprised to see that there was no one around at that hour in such a God-forgotten place. The sound of her steps echoed in the unnatural silence, making shivers run down her spine. She hoped that she would at least find a motel or somewhere where she could sleep. She had no intention to camp in the open air. Not with what had happened to her in the previous weeks. She wanted four walls around her, even if they offered just a slight protection against what was hiding in the shadows.

Suddenly she saw something moving with the corner of eye, but when she turned to check, everything was still once again. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for some moments. She had become paranoid to the point that she was starting to see things. Travelling as she was doing was stressful and having being through what she had lived was even more disorienting. She really needed to calm down and find a place where to spend the night. In the morning, after some good hours of sleep, she would feel much better.

To distract herself, she allowed her mind to go back to the previous day, when she had met the Winchesters’ second companion. Castiel. What a weird, creepy guy. She was starting to wonder if all angels were like that, even if Gabriel had assured her that he and his younger sibling were quite different from most of the others of their kind. In spite of that, she was still led to believe that most angelic beings were at least nuts, considering what she had heard from Crowley. And they all understandably suffered from abandoned child complex. So, under some points of view, it wasn’t their fault if they were so misadjusted. They needed their Father to come back and teach them a couple of things about life. Or perhaps just a good psychiatrist. As most of the people she had met during her life. She couldn’t help a small chuckle. Just two weeks before she didn’t even believe in Heaven or Hell, or anything else linked with them and now she was thinking about the subject as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Maybe she was going crazy too. That would explain a lot of things. Her willing affiliation with the Ruler of Hell as a start.

Another rustle brought her back to the present. She stopped in the middle of the dark street, looking around carefully. This time she was sure that she hadn’t just imagined it. She had distinctively heard the sound, and it was worryingly close to her. She tried to see if she could spot something out of place, but most of her surroundings were wrapped in complete darkness. The streetlights were off and the only light was the one of the stars, which made the atmosphere even more disquieting.

Charlene bit her lip and started to walk again, quickening her pace. She had no idea of what was after her, and she didn’t want to know. She needed to get away from that place as soon as possible and to find somewhere lit and warm, with other people if she wasn’t asking too much. The rustle was heard again and it seemed to be getting closer and closer, so she moved more and more quickly until she found herself running along the road, feeling like a hunted prey.

She was starting to run out of breath when, out of the blue, something came of out the darkness and grabbed her shirt. She let out a surprised yelp and struggled hard, managing to get free from whatever was holding her clothes, only to stumbled backwards and hit something solid and clothed, like a human body. The young woman slowly lifted her eyes from her place on the pavement and found herself at the feet of a man in his late twenties, who was looking at her with a disquieting smirk. His eyes shone unnaturally and his canines looked too sharp to be human. If she could hazard a guess on the creature’s nature she would say “vampire”. Well, vampire _s_ considering that other two, females, had just walked out of the shadows. If she had had some possibilities to escape the guy, now she they were gone. She was screwed. And, once again, it was all Crowley’s fault, even if indirectly.


End file.
